WE'RE NOT DEAD
by BadassDixon
Summary: We take this story in the end of Season 3, when the people of Woodbury came to the prison. So, in this large group of people there is one girl, named Alicia, which will be the main character. She comes from Woodbury after having some troubles in there, and she is looking for that one man, Merle's brother, named Daryl… Daryl/OC
1. Chapter 1: A new home

**CHAPTER I: A NEW HOME**

I hadn't seen him in the two days we've been in the prison. The first day, just when I saw him, I saw he was the one I was looking for, but before I could even spoke to him, he was gone, and I didn't saw him anymore. I knew all the others; Rick was the leader of the group, an honest, and kind and quite of attractive man, Carl was his 12"year"old son, and I heard he had a baby too, but I hadn't seen him. Hershel was the doctor, he was a vet, actually, and I hadn't had a moment yet to talk to him, but he seemed a quite nice old man. His daughters, Beth and Maggie, were maybe the people I had intimate the most, and Maggie's fiancé Glenn, they treated me pretty good. Carol was there too, a woman with a short, grey hair and a sad expression, I've only interact a couple of times with her. And Michonne and Andrea, sure, I knew them from Woodbury.

And at last there was him, Daryl. He has to be him. He wasn't as I expected, but he had that badass look that he shared with his older brother. At the sunset of the second day I saw him, just in the opposite side of the prison, sitting on the floor against the railing, sharpening a knife. He had his brown, dirty hair all messy, a sleeveless shirt, a leather waistcoat, some dark jeans and a pair of black biker leather boots.

"Hey." I told Maggie and Carol, who were leaning in the banister with Andrea.

"Hi, Alicia!" Maggie said "How's the movin' goin'?"

I smiled.

"I've finished."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Andrea wasn't even looking at me. We didn't like each other much.

" I wanted to ask you guys…" I said, going beside Maggie and pointing at Daryl in the distance. "Who's that guy?"

Maggie raised an eyebrow at me.

" That's Daryl. Did you knew Merle?"

" Oh, yes she did." Andrea said.

Maggie frowned, surprised.

" Well, Daryl's his little brother, though they aren't similar at all."

I looked at Daryl.

" He doesn't seem an asshole like Merle was."

Carol smiled.

" He's not. He's quite a loner…"

I pressed my lips and went down to the floor, jumping from bellow the banister.

" I'm goin' to talk with him."

" You probably just bother him…" Carol said. I shrugged my shoulders and I went to his way.

When I was just at a few steps from him, he looked up, examining me. I was wearing a black T-shirt and some denim shorts with a pair of mountain boots. My long loosed black hair was floating with the wind and I had to remove it from my face. He raised his eyebrows. Wow, he was handsome. He had amazing blue eyes, and well defined lips, rounded by an unshaven goatee. He had a strong complexion and broad shoulders, his arms were strong, awesome muscles. Damn, he was a hell of a man. In front of him, on the floor, there was a crossbow.

" Hello." I said, smiling.

" Hi." He responded, looking at me confused.

" Can I have a sit?" I asked, pointing at floor beside him. He shrugged his shoulders, so I sit down. "You are Daryl, aren't you?"

" Yep." He said, and turned his head to look at my face. It seems that he was gonna look me passing me by, going back to his knife as soon as he could, but he kept staring at me, his blue eyes piercing my green eyes, and he leaned on the railing.

" I'm Alicia." I said, offering him my hand. He looked at it, trustless, but then he shook it, strongly. "Wow, you'd strong hands."

He shrugged his shoulders, letting slowly go my hand.

" Yours' soft."

I inclined my head.

" Thanks, but it's better to have strong ones." I said, looking at the crossbow. "That's the only way you can handle this…" I said, stretching out my hand, but Daryl took my wrist.

"Don't touch it."

I smiled. I knew this kind of men. They were tough and strong, sure, and they never needed anyone's help. Actually they turned into that 'cause no one's ever helped them or let them show any weakness, so they wore a shield 24/7. Just my type. Damn.

" Ouch." I said, and he let go my wrist, almost closing his eyes a moment, looking how I was rubbing my wrist with the other hand.

" Didn't mean to harm you." He said. "Just…"

I laughed, and he looked at me confused.

" Don't worry. I understand. I neither let anybody touch my axes. They're like an extension of my arms. It's ok."

He raised his eyebrows.

"¿You fight Walkers with axes?"

I smiled.

"Fuck, yeah. I'm not a good shooter with a gun or a bow. Even less a crossbow."

He giggled a little.

"It has its trouble."

"One day you'll teach me." I said.

He looked at me, raising an eyebrow.

"That doesn't sound like a question."

"It wasn't. One day you'll teach me. You'll see."

He stared at me puzzled for a second and then he went back to his knife. I cleared my throat.

"Actually I wanted to talk with ya." I said. "Well, I was Merle's friend, there in Woodbury."

Daryl didn't look at me.

"No offense, woman, but Merle ever had any friend like ya in all his life."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, we get quite well with each other, and he told me about ya several times."

It seemed he went paler in a second.

"I don't get how ya get well with Merle."

I pulled a face.

"I feel sympathy to the people that save my ass, even they're misogynic suckers. No offense."

He smiled and looked at me. Fuck, he had a really beautiful smile.

"Ya're not offendin' anybody. Merle was a dick. But he was my brother."

I moved my head.

"So he died." I sighed. Just as I feared.

"Yup."

"¿How?"

Daryl bit his lower lip. This man was a living temptation.

"Don't wanna talk 'bout that."

I smiled.

"You don't want to. But I wanna hear it, and you need to tell someone."

He looked at me, directly into my eyes and I kept his look, trying to seem self"confident.

"He went into an ambush they made for us, alone. He wanted to kill the Governor. He killed eight of Governor's men, but not him. When I get there…" he closed his eyes" When I get there he was turned into one of them.

I closed my eyes. I put my hand in Daryl's shoulder (his warm tanned muscled shoulder) and I felt how he got rigid under my touch.

"That's crap." I said.

"Yeah." He said.

"Did you kill him?"

He nodded, and although he didn't say a thing, I felt he was more comfortable underneath my hand. He looked at me, puzzled.

"Who the hell are ya?" He said, almost laughing.

"Well, I told you. I'm Alicia." I smiled at him, the loveliest smile I could make. He laughed. He had a really beautiful laugh. I took off my pocket a package of cigarettes and I offered him. He looked at it, and then he nodded.

"Sure. Why not?" He said, taking one. We lit them and we looked at each other. My heart jumped. "So…"

"So I was on Woodbury. I just moved here with the rest, you guys built here somethin' quite similar to a home." I took a drag.

Daryl frowned, looking at me, and then he raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth.

"Yeah, now I know ya!" He said. "Ya were that girl hid in that dirty cellar, right? Ya look different know."

"Well, I'm cleaned now. Yeah, that was me."

"Why ya were there?" He asked, taking a drag.

I grimaced.

"Well, that's a long story… let's just say I hate the Governor just as you and your group."

He frowned.

"But ya said Merle was friend of yours. How's that?"

I smiled.

"Are you friends with Andrea?"

He nodded.

"Yup, I guess so."

I raised an eyebrow.

"I ain't. But I can be friend of yours, don't you think?"

"Dunno. Yeah." He nodded.

"Well, that's it. Merle and the Governor were friends, and Merle and I were friends, but I hate the Governor and I guess he doesn't like me a lot…" I laughed. "Well, he doesn't like me at all."

Daryl breathed out a puff of smoke.

"Merle was nice to ya?"

I smiled.

"Well, he was Merle. He wasn't nice, he was just… him." I shrugged my shoulders. "You liked him or you hated him. He seemed funny to me. He made me laugh."

Daryl nodded.

"I can tell why he liked ya."

I raised my eyebrows, smiling.

"Why's that?"

He shrugged his shoulders. I laughed.

"You're not like I expected." I said. "Merle talked about you like his little brother, and I always imagined you… Don't know…"

"I guess Merle told ya I was a pussy." He said.

"Nah. He missed ya."

We kept smoking in silence, both of us thinking about Merle. I could notice he was upset.

"You know, Merle tried to convince the Governor to let me kill walkers with the rest of the guards or the explorers that looked for food and supplies."

"Really?"

"Yup. But he didn't let me. 'Cause I tried to run away a couple of times, you know…"

He smiled.

"Ya wanted ta kill walkers?"

I nodded.

"Hell yeah."

"They don't scare ya?"

"Well, sure, but before I arrived to the town I was on my own and I was getting by quite well. Being locked up at that town was… frustrating, somehow."

He nodded, like he understood me.

"Ya were alone?"

"Yup."

"How's that?"

I smiled.

"Well, it's easy, everybody died."

He seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Don't be. That's how things are now."

He looked at me, biting his lip.

"What?" I said.

"Ya know, Rick's makin' groups, organizin' the people, now that this is crowded. I could tell him to put ya in a huntin' group or cleanin' up of Walkers the other wing of the prison."

I smiled as we got up and started walking to the rest of the people.

"You serious?" I said, looking at him hopeful. "But I don't know how to hunt, actually."

He laughed.

"Ok. Then killin' fuckin' Walkers."

I giggled.

"You're awesome as fuck, Daryl Dixon!" I said, and I gave him a quick hug.

He shook his head.

"Whatever. Let me talk with him."

"Ok, I'll be around. See ya!"

I went up the stairs to the banister where Maggie, Carol and Andrea were.

"Hi girls." I said.

Maggie smiled at me.

"How was it with Daryl? You both seemed to get quite well with each other."

I smiled.

"Yeah. He's nice." I said. "And the sexiest man alive in this whole damn world, right?"

Carol and Maggie laughed.

"What?"

"That's what you think?"

"Oh, yeah. He's…" I looked at him, he was arriving to the big group of people reunited in the yard, Rick in the middle. He walked slowly; he had a nice butt too. Oh, my. I wasn't expecting to meet a guy like him.

"Don't know if you're his type of girl." Andrea said. I smiled.

"Well, he's single, huh?"

"Yes, he is." Carol said.

"Is he gay?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then I have a chance."

"Whatever." Andrea said. "Brother to brother, huh?"

I laughed. Daryl came closer to us and motioned me with one hand to come to him. Oh, here I go, baby. I jumped to the floor from below the banister.

"In fact," I said when I landed, walking to Daryl, turning my head to look at Andrea. "I ain't the one that was fucking a psycho, so you maybe should shut the fuck up."

She gasped and turned around, going inside the prison.

Daryl frowned at me.

"What was that 'bout?" He said when I arrived to him. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Told you. We're not friends."

"'k. Let's talk with Rick."

Rick was quite busy, so we waited, and I saw Hershel sitting in a wood box near Rick. I went to him.

"Hey." I said, he looked at me. He looked like a nice granddad. "How's the leg?"

He smiled.

"Healed. It's fine now."

I smiled.

"You didn't have any pain?"

"Not anymore. You seem young to be a doctor. Maybe you're a nurse?" He asked.

I laughed.

"No, I wish. But I read a lot of medicine books when I was bored."

Daryl looked at me.

"So, ya know 'bout medicine?"

I nodded.

"Little bit. I healed myself a couple of times. Take a look." I said and I raised my t-shirt to show him a scar above my navel.

"Wow." He cleared his throat. "Looks well."

"It's healed now. But I thought I was gonna die." I said, laughing.

"How's that funny?" Daryl said, still looking my scar.

"It's not. But I'm happy I survived."

"How did you make that? It seem like it was a really bad wound." Hershel said.

"Some guy with a knife, in Dolton. He tried to assault me. I have more, but I won't show you." I said smiling. "I don't want Dixon to blush." I joked.

Daryl pushed me softly.

"Shut up, woman."

"Just kidding." I said, and I winked at him.

It seemed that Daryl flushed a little, but he turned away and I couldn't see his face as good as I would like.

"Hey, Daryl." Rick said, coming to us. "Mmmmm… Alicia, right?"

"Right." I said. "Hi boss."

Rick giggled.

"The girl wants ta be in the cleanin' team. Slayin' walkers." Daryl said.

"Well, ok." Rick said. "But we won't do that until some weeks. That's a lot to do first."

"Ok." I said. "I just wanna be there when you guys do it."

"If you agree, Rick, I think this girl would be useful in the infirmary with me." Hershel said.

"That's ok with me." Rick said. "You agree, Alicia?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess so. But I'm not a real nurse. I don't know if I will be useful to you, Doc."

"Actually, I'm a vet." Hershel said. "And if you could stitch yourself like that, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Ok."

"It won't take your whole day, so you'll have a lot of free time."

"Like all of us." Daryl said.

"Maybe someday you can teach me to hunt." I said to Daryl, with an innocent glint in my eyes.

"Maybe." Daryl said, but it seemed that he was trying not to smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Guards' chat

**CHAPTER II: GUARDS' CHAT**

_"You know you've been a very, very bad girl today." Governor said, looking at me with one eye, one evil cruel eye. _

_I was sitting in the steel chair, my hands tied to it. I looked straight, not looking at him, as I breathed hard. I was sweating 'cause I ran a lot, but not fast enough. My eyebrow and my nose were bleeding, and I could taste the blood and the sweat in my mouth. I was scared, that's undeniable. I considered myself quite brave, but I think everyone would have been scared in my place. I didn't know what he was capable of. _

_"Why have you done that?" He asked nicely. Always so polite, that crazy motherfucker. I kept looking straight. In a corner of the room, sitting in the dark, was that one-handed red-neck Governor's subject. Merle. That was his name. "ANSWER ME!"_

_I got startled, but I kept my position. Don't show any fear, Alicia, your life's depending on you, as always. _

_"You have everything here…" he said. "You have water, food and a safe and comfortable place to sleep. Why, then, try to run away?"_

_I raised my sight at him, meeting his face._

_"'Cause I don't trust you, fucker." I said, and I spit a stream of blood to his face._

_He gasped, shocked. Ok, maybe that wasn't the smartest thing I could do. But I'm sick of this guy and at least I will die satisfied. You're not used to rebels, huh? Deal with me, sucker. He raised his fist and punched at me hard, the heavy chair moved. I felt my cheek burning, my ears started to whistle. I coughed and spit to the floor, my sight was blurred. God, that one hurt. I look straight again, and my eyes crossed with Merle's. He was frowning, looking at me and biting his lip._

_"Really?" Governor said and sat on the floor in front of me. "Told me, girl, why's that?"_

_I laughed. I laughed so hard my belly hurt. _

_"Dunno…" I said. "I can't see any reason…"_

_Governor smiled._

_"Answer my question."_

_"Ok."I said. "Michonne." _

_Governor frowned._

_"What?"_

_"Michonne. You let her go, and then you sent people to kill her. Your lil' friend here was the one that came back. The others…" I chuckled. "I guess Michonne were more dangerous than what you thought, huh?"_

_"Ya told anyone 'bout that?" Merle asked._

_I sighed._

_"No. They feel safe in here. They're weak, and they have no idea of the world we're living in, but they feel safe. This place is only dangerous to people with balls. Ovaries, in my case, sure."_

_Governor laughed._

_"You think you have "ovaries" to be out of here?"_

_I smiled._

_"Oh yeah. They're unbelievably fuckin' big. I've tested them a couple of times."_

_I heard Merle chuckling in the corner._

_"Told me about "this world we're living in". Do you really think you'll last a day outside the walls of Woodbury?" Governor said._

_I passed my tongue over my teeth. _

_"I will. I've already done it. I can survive almost everything. I survived my family, I survived poorness, I survived worst men than you and I survived the fucking zombie apocalypse. And everything on my own. The world was nasty before all this shit, but few people knew it. I did. I was living in a really wild world before the walkers came. But now the danger is more obvious. That's the difference." _

_"I can see."Governor said. "Look, survivor, I'm gonna punish you a little. I need you to learn. Maybe, if you lose a couple of teeth…"_

_I took a long breath, getting ready._

_"Governor," Merle said. "I have an idea."_

_We both looked at Merle. Oh, shit, what crazy torture would have come to the mind of this guy?_

_"Yes, Merle."_

_"I think it ain't a good idea to take her back to town injured. Maybe I…"_

_"You what?" Governor and I said at the same time._

_"I'll keep an eye on her to make sure she ain't gonna try again. I think she might be useful. She has a good pair of balls." _

_Governor frowned, thinking._

_"Ok." He said. I looked at him, shocked. "Let's make a deal. You take care of her and if she tries to run away again, I'll kill you."_

_Merle raised his eyebrows. I sighed. For a moment, I almost thought I will get out of this without serious pain. You silly bitch, I thought, you're surrounded of bastards, what did you expect?_

_"We've got a deal." Merle said, and I opened my mouth, surprised. Why?_

_"Ok." Governor said, and he got up from the floor. Then he looked at me. "You better appreciate how lucky you are. But you're on the edge, honey. Behave yourself."_

_I nodded, and he untied me. I got up and Merle took my arm and went with me to the door, exiting. I didn't know what to say and he put me against the wall. I looked at his rough face with a mix of grateful and fear. What would he want in exchange? _

_"Listen girl," he said, serious. "I made that for ya 'cause he was being too hard and I like your attitude. Ya remind me of someone, actually. Don't fuck it up, 'k? 'Cause before he kills me, I'll found ya and I'll give him your head. Get it, girlie?"_

_I nodded. _

_"Yeah. I won't."_

_He separated from me._

_"Ok" _

_"Thanks. You're Merle, right?"_

_He nodded._

_"That's the name." He said. "I hope your balls are as big as your tits, 'cause you'll have very bad enemies now."_

_"I don't have balls. But I can stand it."_

_"And what's yar name, lil' brave girl?"_

_"Name's Alicia."_

_He looked at me, almost amused._

_"'k, guys don't like girls with scars, so let's go heal that eyebrow and that pretty lip, or ya ain't never gonna get a laid. And that would be a terrible waste."_

_I rolled my eyes._

_"Whatever."_

_"Tell me about ya, girlie. I wanna know the lil' pussy I'm betting my balls for…"_

I woke up, sweating, and it took a minute to realize where I was. I touched my face with shaky hands, but it was dry. No blood. I was breathing hard. My heart was beating so fast I could felt it in my chest, against my bones.

"Ok… It's ok…" I whispered to myself.

I was lying in a thin mattress, in a prison cell. The prison was silent as a tomb, only quiet breathes and some snoring, but it seemed that everybody was sleeping. I raised up and stretched my back. It was dark, but after my dream, I knew I wasn't able to sleep anymore. It was funny how, in a world full of walking corpses, the worst nightmares I could have were about living people. This world take out the worst of every person, just that some ones had worst sides than others. Governor was one of the craziest motherfuckers I've ever met. And I've met a few…

I went out the cell and walked to the yard. I've been in the prison for a week now and I was quite comfortable in there now. At least, now I was surrounded of people I trusted. Their leader, Rick, was awesomely closer to be the perfect man. Kind, brave, smart and nice. And cute, if somebody cares my opinion. The kind of guy that, once you know he's taking care of everything, you can sleep calmly. Well, if some fucking nightmares don't perturb your nights. Hershel was a good help too, he had the wisdom of the older people, and his serene ways transmitted calm. And there was Daryl, of course. I'd talk with him several times this week, and he were a tough guy, quite shy and lonely, but I loved finding the way to bring him out of himself, and every time, it went a little further. Honestly, with him around, I couldn't worry about walkers. He had aim, cold blood, and a badass attitude that was just great. Ok, maybe I had a very, very little crush on him… What can I say? He was sexy, handsome, smart and quite nice when you talk to him a couple of times. And he had this southern accent that was just… I shook my head, as I got out of the prison.

"Hey there…" I said, adjusting my jacket to my body to fight the coldness of the night. Maggie was sit there, with a riffle on her lap and she smiled at me.

"Hi!" She said. She was charming, at least with me. "You can't sleep?"

I sat beside her.

"Nuh-huh…" I shook my head. "Bad dreams, you know?"

She sighed.

"Yes I do."She said. I nodded. "May I ask what's your bad dream about?"

I sighed. Why not?

"It was about a time one friend helped me."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Doesn't sound that bad."

"Well, he's dead now, so…"

She nodded.

"Oh. Sorry."

I shrugged my shoulder.

"Don't worry. He died like the badass he was."I smiled. "And I think he proved he wasn't as bad as everybody thought."

Maggie looked at me, puzzled.

"Wait… you talking about Merle?"

I nodded.

"He was a difficult guy, can't deny that, but he had this other side… Dunno."

"He almost killed Glenn." she whispered, a bit angry.

I grimaced.

"Yeah, well, he was no angel. Who is, nowadays? And he did a lot of bad things. But he stretched a hand at me when he didn't even knew me, and he saved my ass. I was in a very bad situation… he helped me. I can't forget that. He was my buddy." I shrugged my shoulders. "The first actual friend I had since the walking dead thing started. I know most of you hated him…" I swallowed. "But I miss him."

Maggie nodded and put a hand in my shoulder.

"I guess he had a side he hid most of time." Maggie said. "and only a few people were able to saw it. You are one. And so is Daryl."

"He regretted lots of things."I confessed. "And a lot of them were related to Daryl. He thought Daryl deserved better. That he deserved more than what he gave him. Now I know Daryl, I think the same."

Maggie shrugged.

"Daryl's very reserved. I know few things about him. But I do know he loved Merle. He chose to go with him when we didn't accept him in our group." I looked at Maggie; she was looking to the floor, her short wild hair surrounding her face. "And so I know Merle loved Daryl, 'cause he returned here with him when we needed help. Although he wasn't well received."

I nodded.

"The strange thing is that you let him pass through the door. He could be a big asshole when he wanted." I said chuckling.

Maggie laughed.

"Yeah, he had this gift to angry everybody around him."

I smiled.

"I always laughed when he did that. He never could angry me, though. I laughed at his impolite, offensive commentaries."

Maggie shrugged.

"Well, guess you got him well."

I nodded. I missed him badly. And when a man talked close to me, I almost thought it was him, but he had a softer voice, and was gentler.

"What da hell ya're doin' here, woman? Thought ya hadn't guard tonight."

I turned my head to meet his blue eyes looking at me amusingly. That's something I'd notice; this guy seemed to find me entertaining or curious or something like that.

"Can't sleep, Dixon. Anyway, are you observing me? How you know when I have my guards?"

He scratched his neck and I held on a laugh.

"That lil' girl, Katie, told me so."

I raised my eyebrows. Katie was a little girl that lived in Woodbury with his mother. I used to play with her a lot and helped his mother, Lena, with her issues, so the girl had this little thing with me. And I liked it, because I've always liked children. And now, they were like a brush of fresh air, an innocence look to this crappy world.

"Katie told you? She's three, Daryl, how she came to you and told you I don't have guard time tonight?"

Daryl sighed.

"Well, she did! She told me ya went sleeping early tonight 'cause ya didn't have ta go out."

I smiled.

"Ok, Dixon, take it easy. You look cute when you're angry, though."

Daryl mumbled something and Maggie laughed.

"Well, I guess you're my replacement, so I'm going to sleep. Good night."

"Night, Maggie." I said, giggling. Daryl nodded at her and she left. He occupied her place beside me. "You mind if I stay here? Can't sleep."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"If ya don't bother me with that touchy-feely girlie crap, it's ok."

I laughed.

"Well, I could be like that with Maggie, but unless you're having a well kept secret under your jeans, I'll bet my ass you're not a girl… anyway, you think I'm that kind of girl? Well, I'll try not bothering you with my girlie crap."

He shook his head.

"Ya know what I meant."

I smiled.

"That's how Merle used to call me."

"Huh?"

"_Girlie_. That's how Merle called me."

He nodded.

"Ya think 'bout him a lot, don't ya?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's just that he had appeared in my nightmares tonight. Sorry if it upset you."

He looked at me with those piercing blue eyes.

"Nah. Is just…"

I nodded.

"I know, Daryl."

We both sighed and kept in silence for some minutes, thinking about Merle. _Who would have told you this, Merle, huh? _I though. _Daryl and I sitting together thinking 'bout our brother in common. Missing you. _I took a long breath and decided to make Daryl stop thinking about it.

"So, how are you taking this situation? So many people around, I mean."

He looked at me.

"Fine, I guess. I'm on my own most of time, anyway. Nobody talk to me."

I smiled.

"They're afraid of you. You're kind of an intimidating man, you know?"

"R'lly?"

I laughed.

"I guess so. They're just scared people, Daryl. They hadn't fight for survive, not like all of you. They were living in that town, thinking everything was so fucking peachy… they had hit with their heads against a wall. A really ugly, nasty and hard wall."

"Ya really think they didn't know how world is now?"

I shook my head.

"Not really. They knew it is dangerous, yeah, but no how harsh it could be. I guess they were only afraid of losing people, of losing the ones that went fighting. But they felt safe. And feeling like that made them put down their guard. They didn't expect that a living man could fuck them like that…"

Daryl inclined his head.

"And ya were expecting it?"

I sighed.

"I knew it."

"How? I thought everybody in that bloody town loved that psycho."

"Not me."

He nodded, knowing that it wasn't the best subject to talk about.

"Ya're getting' along quite well with everybody. Maggie, Rick…"

"Yeah, your group's nice."

"So are ya."

I smiled at him, surprised.

"Oh my, Daryl Dixon just made me a compliment. I don't know what to say…"

"Then shut it, woman." He said a little annoyed, like always I tried to joke a little over him. I made a sad face, putting my lower lip in front of the other, pouting.

"Don't get mad with me, Dixon."

He looked at my mouth and a little smile ran through his lips.

"Ya're insufferable, anybody told ya before?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, but they never meant it."

He stayed in silence, looking at one arrow he had being playing with in his hands.

"Me neither."

I smiled, a truly, big, shiny smile.

"I knew that, Dixon. I already knew that."

"If ya know that much, why don't ya stop teasing me?"

I chuckled.

"'Cause it's funny. You can do it with me too."

He smiled.

"Ya're always in good mood?"

I came closer to him and shook my head, denying.

"Just when I'm with you, Dixon." I laughed.

"Shut it, woman." He said, but he laughed as well.


	3. Chapter 3: Past always hurts

**CHAPTER III: PAST ALWAYS HURTS**

"So, there you go. No more bleeding, see?" I said after taking care of the little wound in a knee of a seven-year-old boy, named Liam.

"Yeah. It doesn't hurt anymore." He said, smiling to me.

"Well, that's why I'm here for." I said, shaking his blonde hair. "To stop the pain. Now get out of my sight, go play in the yard!"

He smiled as he went away running.

"BUT BE CAREFUL!" I yelled, still smiling.

I was in the infirmary of the prison, which Hershel, Glenn and I had recondition to make it a real place to attend hurt people. It was just beside the yard, in the lowest floor, so I mostly attended kids. That was right for me, and also gave me time to be by myself and to stand in the outside, with fresh air, when I had no patients (mostly all the time), reading some medicine books I took from Woodbury.

"Ya have a way with kids…" Daryl said from the door, I raised my head at him and smiled. I was always glad to see his face, his lips curled with a smile.

"Of course I do, Dixon." I said. "Why are you here? Did you shot yourself an arrow to your feet or somethin'?"

He chuckled.

"Yeah, ya wish. Nah, I'm comin' with Carol, she'll be here in a minute."

I nodded.

"Well, while we wait, would you like to get a check-up?" I raised an eyebrow at him "It's free."

He laughed out loud and came closer to me, as he sat on the stretcher looking at me I looked at him shocked. I expected some ironic commentary, not that he wanted me to really check him up.

"If ya want ta…"

I chuckled.

"Actually I'm more used to check you out, but…"

"Just like me."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Huh? Do you check me out?"

He inclined his head to a side, actually checking me out. He looked my face and went down, and then up again.

"Hey!" I said, feeling too observed, though I didn't really cared. He laughed. Oh, I liked this naughty Daryl. "What you think? You like what you see?" I asked joking.

He smiled.

"Much." He said, and the way he was looking at me said so. "Ya look good with that bun in your hair."

I made myself a messy bun to work better.

"Don't mock on me, Dixon!" I said, giving him a soft punch in the chest. He laughed."

"Sorry, Doc."

"I'm not a doctor. If you want to, maybe a nurse."

"Ya're one of those naughty nurses I've heard of, huh?"

I laughed out loud.

"Maybe." I couldn't believe how he was talking to me. "Why are you in so good mood, Dixon?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I've had a good night. I've slept well."

I continued the joke.

"Did you dreamt 'bout me?"

He smiled.

"Actually yeah, I did."

I gasped, stunned.

"I'm gonna ask a risky question. What do I did in your dream?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, but in that moment a "knock, knock" came from the door. Oh, for Christ sake. I was about to do something wrong and dirty in the stretcher, so maybe this was better. I looked to the door and saw Carol with a little baby, crying out loud in her arms.

"Oh!" I said, smiling "Is this Rick's baby?"

"Yeah…" Carol said, coming closer and she gave me the baby. "I introduce you Lil' Asskicker."

I laughed and looked back at Daryl, who had gone down the stretcher.

"That Nickname must be your fault."

"Guilty." He said, raising his arms in a surrender way.

"And do you have a real name, Lil' Asskicker?" I asked.

"Judith." Carol said.

"Judith. Beautiful name for a beautiful baby. You're the proof that the world is still a beautiful place somehow, Lil' Asskicker, you know that?" I said, with that silly voice I used to use when I was talking to a baby. Daryl chuckled. "Not a word, Dixon…" I said, with that same childish voice. "What's the matter?" I asked to Carol.

"She doesn't stop crying, and she doesn't want to eat."

I nodded and put the baby in the stretcher. She kept crying and moaning as I started touching her belly. I asked Carol a few questions about the baby habits.

"Ok, here's your remedy." I said, as I put the baby facedown and started massaging the baby's belly with careful hands. "She has colic. It's really normal in babies with less than three months… it can last almost a year, but with warmth and massages, it'll past."

The baby stopped crying.

"Wow." Daryl said in a surprised tone very offensive. "Ya actually know what ya're doing."

I frowned at him.

"Thanks, Dixon. You're a kind fucker. You think I'd accept to be here all the fucking day if I didn't know what to do?"

Daryl giggled.

"Well, I meant…"

"Whatever." I said, bothered. "Let her sleep, and feed her when she asks to." I said. "Goodbye, Lil' Asskicker." I said to the beautiful baby face, with large blue eyes. "Oh, you have your father's gorgeous eyes… that's nice." I said to her.

"Huh?" Daryl asked.

I rolled my eyes and turned back the baby to Carol, who was surprised too.

"I don't want to seem a gossip, but, did you ever have kids? You have a real thing with them."

I got tense; I didn't want to think about it.

"No." I said roughly. "Anything else?"

"No…" Carol said, ashamed "Sorry, it's just… I had a daughter and she never had colic, so I didn't know…"

"You had a child?" I asked, with pain in my voice.

"Yes. She was named Sophia. She died some months ago."

I nodded, feeling bad for being so rough at her.

"I'm sorry for you and your girl. It's just… I never had kids on my own, but I did have kids around me. My sister had a baby boy. He had two years the last time I saw him."

"Oh!" Carol said, Daryl was still silent, but he was looking at me. Well, I was still a little mad at him. "I'm sorry. You lost them?"

I shook my head, feeling my eyes were burning.

"No, I… I don't know. They lived in Europe, Ireland. I saw them the last time like two weeks before the epidemic started. I don't know anything of them."

Carol looked at me, and I knew she was in pain too.

"That's horrible, Alicia. I know it. Sophia was lost for several days till we found her… or what was her." I swallowed. "It's better to know what is happening, even if it's bad. The wait, the ignorance… its killing."

"Yeah, it is… but I have to deal with it. I've made my mind I'll never know anything of them."

Carol nodded.

"I guess we all have lost people. In one way or another."

I nodded and turned around, grabbing a book. I hoped they got the message. _Out of here, don't wanna talk anymore. _

I heard footsteps leaving the infirmary, and I sighed. I shook my head, no; it wasn't allowed to think of that, never. I don't have a family, I've never had one. That's how things are now.

"Ya ok?"

I jumped; I didn't know Daryl was still there.

"Yeah." I said.

He came closer, I heard his steps, and then I felt him right beside me. I turned around to face him. I was mad at him, and he knew it.

"Ya don't seem so."

I sighed.

"You know nothing about me, Daryl Dixon."

He nodded.

"I know ya're always joking around and smiling, and I like that. And I know ya're angry with me."

"Oh, really?" I said.

"Look, I…" Daryl didn't know what to say, I knew he was feeling awkward. He wasn't exactly a speech kind of guy. "I didn't mean to say that. I was just saying that ya're really good with this medicine and kids stuff… I… whatever, drop it." He said, and he tried to turn around, but I grabbed his arm.

"No, keep talking." I begged. We were inches apart, and I could felt his warm breath in my face.

"Just… Don't be mad at me, ok?" He said. I smiled.

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't want it. I… sometimes I say things… I always mess up the good things…"

I smiled at him, grabbing his hand.

"You didn't mess up anything. I'm fine. Especially with you."

He put his hand in my chin.

"Ok."

"Aliiiii…" A childish voice said from the door, making us both jump. "I got hurt…"

"Liam! I told you to be careful!"

The blonde kid looked to the floor, embarrassed.

"I guess I'll see ya later…" Daryl said, as he went away. I looked as him as he got further. I wasn't sure if the next time we'll talk, he was going to be so communicative. He had this strange mood, I never know how he's gonna be when I'll go talk to him. He might be nice, might be naughty, might be flirty or might be rough, and closed in himself. I really thought he felt some attraction to me; he used to look me when he thought I wasn't noticing it, and he always smiled when we saw each other. He came to talk to me daily, and I noticed he always did that with me and Rick. Came just to talk, to joke, to laugh. And he never laughed with anyone but me, so… what was the deal? I liked him, much, and it seemed that he liked me too… maybe he just needed sometime… he was a little bit shy, he felt awkward when he had to say more than two phrases together. Well, I guess I could give him sometime, if that's what he needed. It was worth it. But maybe he needed me to come to him, to be the one that started this…

"Ah, men!" I said, exasperated.

"What?"

"Nothing. Let me see your knee. AGAIN."

* * *

I hit with my axe at mi right, with a fast movement. Then I kicked, I punched, and I crossed my axes down, in a deathly movement. I did a somersault on the floor and I got up with a jump, hitting with my axes at the messy-made puppet I've created with old clothes. It lost its head and I frowned.

"You weren't supposed to do that, fucker…" I mumbled, as I took it and tried to reassemble it with heavy breaths.

"You're quite good with those axes." A man said close to me. He was tall, with icy blue eyes and dark hair He usually had a serious expression, but now he was almost smiling… Rick was leaning against the wall. I was training myself in the little backyard, making sure I'll be alone. It was a lonely little zone, with trash and ruins all around… it was near the ruined building, infested of walkers, but it had a fence to separate both areas. Most of people didn't where there, 'cause it was uglier than the rest of the prison, so it was the best place for me to be on my own. It seemed it didn't work, after all. I smiled at Rick.

"Well, thanks, Boss." I told him. "I was just exercising myself… don't want to lose my fighting abilities."

He nodded.

"Sure. It's good to keep fit. You can try your aim, too. Carl made this dartboard…"

I shook my head.

"Thanks, but I gave up on that long ago. I'm not a good shooter. I'm better with body-against-body fights. I've got a bow, a messy one, but it's more an emergency weapon, you know…"

"And with guns?" Rick asked.

I sighed.

"I'm awful. And I didn't practice a lot cause, you know, their loud as hell, and the ammo ain't eternal, so…" I shrugged my shoulders. "I wasn't even good at darts!"

Rick chuckled a little.

"But if a horde of walkers surrounded you, you couldn't fight them all with axes. Guns are more useful. A shot in the forehead always work."

"And also cutting their heads off."

He raised his eyebrows.

"I guess why you get along so well with Daryl."

I smiled.

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

He smiled.

"You're kind of a hunter, like him… instead you hunt walkers."

I laughed.

"A hunter with no aim! That's fun!"

He laughed too.

"May I teach you a little?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Sure, Boss."

He giggled; he used to do it when I called him "Boss". But that's what he was, or not?

"Ok, take my gun." He said, giving me a 9 mm. light gun. I took it, pressing my lips. I wasn't really into guns. I held it and I focused it to the puppet's head.

"Now, there's a problem here." Rick said, getting closer. "You have to stretch your arm like this." He said, grabbing my elbow and pushing up, till my arm was absolutely straight. "Right. And you gotta keep your shoulders back, your back straight." He gave me a pat in the back.

"Ok, got it."

"Now you gotta focus… look at it… think of what's your objective. Look it straight and balance it with the gun. Breathe deeply."

I took a long breath and looked at the puppet's head. Rick had his hand on my shoulders in a very fatherly way. It was nice. I hadn't had a man touching me like that in a long time. It was tender, pure. Though maybe it didn't seem so from the outside.

"What da hell ya're doing?" A southern voice said. I jumped and pulled the trigger, a loud shot left the gun, hitting the puppet's head and blowing it up.

"Daryl, Jesus! You scared the shit out of me!" I said. "But I made it!" I laughed. "You saw that, Rick? You're a real good teacher."

"Oh, yeah? Ya're so, Rick?" Daryl said with a rough voice. I didn't understand why he was angry.

"Yeah. I was teaching her how to shoot."

"Why?"

I inclined my head a bit.

"Well, nobody else offered to." I said. "And Rick was kind enough to propose himself to help me with my crappy aim. And he made it quite well, actually."

"IS EVERYTHING OK DOWN THERE?" Glenn voice said from the guard tower.

"YES! JUST PRACTICING SHOTS!" Rick shouted. "I gotta go do some stuff…" Rick mumbled. "Good shot, Alicia, but…"

"But what?" I said.

"You would have missed if Daryl didn't show up. He made you jump and moved your focus. You would have hit the puppets' leg."

I frowned.

"Well, that's crap. Told you I have no aim." I said, a little disappointed.

"Keep practicing." He said, he nodded at Daryl and went away.

"THANK YOU ANYWAY!" I said to his back. He raised a thumb.

Daryl came closer to me.

"Ya didn't say ya wanted ta learn how to shoot."

I frowned.

"Well, I told you I didn't know how to do it. Rick just gave me the option, and I decided to take it."

He nodded.

"Ok, I get it."

"What?"

"Just… ask me if ya want to learn. I'll teach ya. Ya have a bow, huh?"

I nodded.

"A crappy one."

"Ok. Give me some time and I'll get another for ya. I'll teach ya how to shoot arrows. They're quieter and ya can get them back once you shoot them."

I smiled.

"That would be great. Can't wait."

He nodded.

"Rick was just nice at me. He treated me like a daughter or somethin' like that."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Ok. Never mind."

"Then why you angered at him?"

He sighed, looking at me chewing his lip.

"Ya surprised me. I didn't expect ta found ya both here like that."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Ok…" If he didn't wanna admit he was jealous, I wasn't the one that will push him to. "I'll keep training, then."

"Ok."

I looked at him; he was standing there, frowning.

"Sometimes you can be a difficult man, Dixon."

"I know that."

"Good."

"And so are ya."

"I'm easy as a 21-year-old woman can be. Don't force your luck, Dixon."

He smiled.

"Easy, woman. I won't."

I looked at him raising an eyebrow. Then I shook my head and picked my axes from the floor.

"Where did ya get those axes from?" He asked. My two axes had short handles and big steely blades. They were quite heavy, but still easy to handle. For me, at least.

"A friend gave them to me my last birthday, as a joke."

"What a present."

"It made me laugh. And now is the best present they could have given to me."

He nodded and smiled at me.

"Twenty-one, huh?"

I looked at him.

"Yeah."

"Ya seem older."

I puffed.

"You sure know how to treat a girl, Dixon."

He smiled, surrounding me and going leaning on the wall, his crossbow in one hand.

"I mean, ya don't seem a crazy-college-girl."

"Well, that's 'cause I'm not. I'm a fighting-zombies-girl. See?" I said, raising one of my axes.

"I mean 'fore this."

I looked at his eyes.

"I neither was then. I was… on my own. Living wild, you know?"

He chuckled.

"Well, and what thought your parents 'bout that?"

I sighed.

"They weren't there, so fuck them."

Daryl nodded.

"How's that?"

I sighed again, exasperated.

"Look, Daryl, I didn't want to talk 'bout my family this morning and I still the same, ok?"

He raised his hands.

"I neither had parents." He said. "My mom died and my dad was a fucker. Merle was there for me, but he spent a lot of time in jail, so…"

I looked at him, pressing my lips. I knew that. Merle told me. Daryl was alone very often, even when he was little. And his father wasn't the kind of guy that take care of his children, so, every time Merle was jailed or "having fun" anywhere, Daryl was alone, and he had to figure out how to live like that. It was sad, unfair, and annoying. But I understood it.

"Well, that's not my story." I said. "But you don't wanna hear it."

He sat on the floor, leaning his back in the wall.

"Sure I wanna. Come here."

I didn't know how to say "no" to him, so I sat beside him, our arms touching.

"Well, my dad was a fucker too. He liked whiskey and he liked being the boss. He liked that we were scared of him, my mom, my sister and me. And we were."

"I guess fathers always suck."

"Nuh-huh." I shook my head "Not always. Look at Rick. Or Hershel. Anyway, my mom wasn't a saint. She knew the only way to like my dad was "having fun" with him. And she was good at it too. She was a great drinker. But she knew another man that treated her better, not well, just better, and she went away. My sister got married, her husband was Irish, so… bye Sis'. I was sixteen by then. And I knew my father felt alone…"

Daryl looked at me.

"He tried somethin'?"

I shook my head.

"I left before he could. And I made it by my own, my way. It wasn't exactly a good way, but at least nobody hit me or touched me without my consent."

Daryl surrounded my shoulder with his arm.

"And your sister? Why ya didn't go with her?"

I sighed.

"I wasn't exactly a good girl, Daryl. I drank, I did drugs, I fucked with every guy I met…" I rolled my eyes. "Too much information. Sorry."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, don't worry. I thought ya were a good girl."

I laughed.

"That's a good one! Nobody told me that before."

"I still think that, actually."

"Well, I recovered from that. I got an apartment, a job, and left my bad habits… except smoking. Talking about…" I said, taking off my pack of cigarettes "Want one?"

"Sure."

We lit them and took a long drag.

"So ya stopped fuckin' everybody?"

I laughed.

"Yeah, pretty much. But when people say you're a whore once, they keep on telling that all your life. I didn't mind. Preferred being a ho rather than a sweetie silly girl that secretly… you know."

He nodded.

"Well, let's say ya had fun a couple of years."

I laughed.

"Ok. Let's say that. Sounds well."

"Ya had a fucked up childhood, its normal ya didn't know how ta be an adult at sixteen."

"You had a fucked up childhood too, and, to be honest, you hadn't the best paternal model with Merle. You did the same I did?"

He shrugged.

"More or less."

I laughed.

"I can imagine all the girls in your town starting to sweat when they saw you in that bike… 'Oh, God, that's Daryl Dixon! He's so hot, and so bad… he fucked Betty Sue and never called her again!'" I laughed out loud, and Daryl did the same.

"It would have been a real hard meeting if we had found each other before this." Daryl said.

"Oh, yes." I nodded. I wanted to add 'I would totally have tried to fuck you' but I thought it was better to keep my big mouth shouted.

We took a drag.

"We did it quite well, anyway." He said. "Maybe our past life helped us to get through this."

"Yeah. We're survivors, Dixon. We've always been. But I would have liked to have a normal childhood. No drunk dad or passed out mom, no hits, and no beatings up. Just, you know, a family."

"Yeah. I guess it was a crap to be us."

I rested my head on his shoulder, hiding him the lonely tear that left my eyes.


	4. Chapter 4: My first walker

**CHAPTER IV: MY FIRST WALKER**

"You lose!" I said laughing. "No, you've been smashed, baby!"

Glenn shook his head, leaving the cards on the table.

"Oh my," Maggie said. "She just kicked your ass, honey."

"I know." Glenn answered. "I suck at poker."

I smiled moving my shoulders in a little dance of victory.

"I told ya! Don't play poker with me; I paid my bills thanks to this game!"

Glenn laughed and retired from the game.

"I guess I'll leave it too…" Carol said but I shook my head.

"Don't be afraid, sweet Caroline." I smiled "I'm going to the guard tower. I gotta replace Dixon."

"I'll go in a second." Rick said. "I'm replacing Andrea tonight."

I nodded.

"Sure. See you there. Slumber party time."

They laughed as I went out the cafeteria where we were playing poker. Rick was beat up in the first round, so he and Carl were watching us while I kicked everybody's ass. Carol, Hershel, Beth and Lena and Charlie, the last two were Woodbury people, stayed playing as I went to my cell. Katie, the little two year old girl, daughter of Lena, was sleeping in my bed.

"Hey, sweetie, what you're doing here?"

"I tried to found you. Or Dar. But I can't."

"Well, that's 'cause I was in the cafeteria with mom. And Daryl is in the guard tower. He'll come in a minute, huh?"

The girlie nodded and closed her eyes. I took my guard riffle, and went away. I looked around in front of the guard tower, trying to find Rick, but he hadn't arrived yet. I sighed. Well, I guess I'll have some fun time with Andrea. Yay. I started going up the stairs, but I stopped when I heard my name from above me.

"So, what's your thing with that Alicia girl?" I heard Andrea voice asking. I bit my lip and kept in silence. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't help myself from hearing Daryl's answer.

"Well, she's nice."

Oh. That's all?

"I don't think so."

I rolled my eyes. I already knew that, Andrea.

"May I ask…" Daryl said. "What's your problem with her?"

Andrea sighed.

"It's just… I think she's dangerous."

"What?" I muttered.

"Huh?" Daryl asked.

"She's impulsive and merciless and stupid. She would kill the walkers that would surround a person just for fun, not for helping. She thinks kill is a fun thing. Jesus, she was Merle's friend, for God's sake!"

Daryl cleared his throat.

"Merle was my brother. And she's ma friend."

Andrea sighed.

"Sure, but he treated you like shit, Daryl."

"And how did he treat her?"

"Quite well. They were always together. I didn't understand it, but I guess she had something to give him as recompense…"

"What ya mean?"

"Well, I guess he protected her and she gave him warm nights in return. He saved her a lot of times, and I doubt he'd do that for free."

Daryl puffed.

"Ya know, I'm starting to understand why Ali hates ya so much. Ya're a bitch."

"Daryl!"

"Yeah, ya know nothing about her. I'll bet my arm she never slept with Merle, she's not like that. Ya know nothing. Nothing. Not a fuckin' thing, Andrea."

Wow, he was angry. I smiled.

"Daryl, you know how Merle was!"

"Yeah, and I know how Alicia is. Both of us know that Merle was often a pain in the ass, but was family anyway. He was my brother, and then her brother. If Merle saved her, good! That would be one of the few good things he ever made. If she had the ability of knowing him, how he was, what he was capable of, and still by his side, fuckin' good too! That means that Merle had a damn good friend. And I'm glad. Cause thanks to he was her friend, she came to me and became my friend too. Cause she wanted to. And ya don't have the right to say a fuckin' single word 'bout it, not 'bout Merle, not 'bout Alicia, and not 'bout me, 'cause ya don't know a fuck!"

I sighed silently. I never heard Daryl talking that much and he seemed so angry… I was glad I couldn't see his face, because I was sure that having Daryl that angry with you must be horrible… and for defend me. I almost giggled.

"I didn't mean…" Andrea started, but I heard something hitting against the banister.

"Listen" Daryl said. "If I ever, EVER, hear ya tellin' her stupid again, I'll shove this arrow so up your ass you'll taste it in your mouth. We're finished now." He said, and I heard footsteps coming to me, so I started going up the stairs making real noise and clearing my throat. We met on the top of the stairs.

"Hey." I said when I looked at his face. He was angry, her face was red and a vein was palpitating in his neck. I was so grateful at him I couldn't help to smile him.

"Hi." He said almost puffing.

"You ok?" I asked, pretending I didn't hear them. He shook his head.

"Yeah, sure. Just argued a little with Andrea."

I rolled my eyes.

"Why that doesn't surprise me?"

He sighed.

"She's really wrong with ya, Ali. She thinks things 'bout ya that aren't true."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, that's 'cause she never tried to actually know me."

He nodded.

"I guess so."

"That means you've been talking 'bout me?"

He smiled.

"Maybe."

I smiled him back.

"You can go to sleep if you want. I'm replacing you."

He nodded.

"I'll wait. Who's replacing Andrea?"

"Rick."

He sighed.

"Rick? Ya and Rick will make the guard?"

I smiled widely.

"You jealous, Dixon?"

He shrugged.

"Nah. Should I be?"

I chuckled.

"Not at all."

He sighed and caught a strand of my hair that was floating in the air. He put it behind my ear and slightly caressed my face with his fingers. I felt how my skin got goose pimples. We heard someone clearing his throat, and Daryl almost jumped away from me.

"Sorry." Rick said.

Daryl nodded.

"I'm going to bed."

I grabbed his arm as he walked away.

"Go to my cell tonight."

He frowned.

"Huh?"

I smiled.

"Don't freak out, Dixon. Katie was looking for you."

"Why?"

"'Cause her mom Lena has guard tonight, and me too. She told me she looked for "Dar", but she didn't found you."

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"'k. I'll go find her."

I tiptoed and kissed his cheek.

"You're awesome, Daryl."

And I turned around, going to find Andrea. I heard Rick chuckling behind me and Daryl grumbling. I internally laughed. I knew he would feel embarrassed if I kissed him, but I couldn't resist.

"Hi." I said to Andrea. She was leaning against the banister with teary eyes. I sighed. "You ok?"

She nodded, looking at me with dislike.

"You can go to sleep, Andrea." Rick said. "I'm here."

Andrea went away without a word. Rick looked at me raising his eyebrows.

"She argued with Daryl." I explained "But don't tell them I heard it."

Rick smiled and came closer; we both leaned on the banister, looking at the yard. Michonne was walking around, and Hershel was sit beside the door, with a rifle in his lap. Everything was quiet and the woods in front of us were calmed and silent. I felt Rick was looking at me, so I turned my head to face him. His blue eyes looked at me with amusement, a little smile dancing in his mouth.

"What?" I said, hitting him with my hip. He laughed.

"Daryl is a good man."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, I think so."

He stood looking at me with that funny look. I laughed.

"What?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing. It's just that is funny."

"What's funny?"

"You both are so… I don't know."

"Difficult?"

He shrugged.

"We can say that. Lonely wolves. And see Daryl with someone like I see him with you… it's great. I'm glad."

I looked away, without knowing what to say. That meant that Daryl only acted how he acted with me. I knew it! I knew he felt the magnetism too. I looked back at Rick, smiling.

"He's jealous of you."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Oh. I… am I giving that impression? I mean, you're really pretty and I'm happy you're here, but…"

I laughed out loud.

"Boss, take it easy. I'm not flirting with you. I like being just your friend." He nodded, relieved. "I'm saying that he's so doubtful… you think I should be the one taking the first step?"

I felt really great to talk about Daryl with someone. I could have spoke with Maggie, but she just could give me typical advices about relationships. That wouldn't do. Daryl wasn't a typical guy and I wasn't a typical girl and we weren't in a typical situation. Rick knew us both, and he always saw it all, always knew what was happening around him. He sighed.

"I think you should give him some time. Daryl does everything when he wants to do it. Don't pressure him. Just… give him some signs and he will follow them. Keep doing the same you're doing."

I rolled my eyes.

"This is incredible. The world has gone to shit and here I am, wondering if I should pounce on a guy or should I let him come to me. I didn't have this kind of problems before. I just went all straight, going directly to the point."

Rick looked at me smiling.

"'Pounce'? Really?"

I laughed.

"You know what I mean."

We started walking around the tower, covering all the outskirts of the prison.

"Well, the world has changed. It's not weird that you changed too."

"I guess so."

"And how old are you?" Rick asked, curious.

"Twenty-one."

Rick puffed.

"God, it's really normal you've changed. Even if the world was still the same."

I nodded.

"When everything started, I thought I would never meet another guy. I would never like anyone. Some nights, in the very beginning, I felt sad 'cause I thought I'll never know how it feels to love someone. I'm not in love with Daryl…"

"Yet." Rick interrupted me.

"Yet. But he's the first man I met I think it'll be great to spend hours and hours with. Well, is the first man I actually spend a lot of time talking with, and I don't get bored or awkward. If you had tell me this when the walkers took my town, I would have laughed at your face."

Rick looked at me puzzled.

"Walkers took your town?"

I nodded.

"Sure. They took everything. Well, you know it…"

He sighed.

"I was in coma when all started. I woke up in a deserted hospital, feeling weak and hungry, and I saw that anybody was there. I was confused."

I opened my mouth, totally shocked.

"That's horrible! How did you survive? How did you avoid the walkers?"

He shrugged.

"Well, the first walker I saw was a head and a torso trying to bite me from the floor. I didn't understand a thing in that moment. A man saved me and helped me, and then I went to Atlanta, trying to find Lori and Carl." He looked at my confused face. "Lori was my wife."

I nodded.

"Oh. I'm sorry. And you went to Atlanta? Who the hell told you to go there? Atlanta fell relatively fast. It was crowded with walkers a month after the epidemic extended."

Rick nodded.

"Well, I though there was a safe place in Atlanta, and when I get there, I was trapped, surrounded by walkers. Glenn saved me, and some others. We stayed in a mall until we planed how to escape from there."

I looked at the sky.

"Oh, yeah. That's the handcuffed-to-a-pipe's incident, right?"

Rick looked to the floor.

"Yes, I think so. Daryl told you about it?"

I shook my head.

"Nuh-huh. Merle did."

Rick sighed.

"We came back for him the next day, but he wasn't there. He cut off his hand and escaped."

I shrugged.

"He told me walkers were trying to get him from the closed door. It was a matter of time, so he did what he thought was the right thing. Anyway, what a crap go to sleep and wake up in this wild world, huh?"

Rick nodded.

"Yes, but I think that live all the panic, the increasing of the deaths and the invasions of walkers neither were a nice thing."

I sighed.

"No, it wasn't pretty. It started with some weird news on TV. Then everybody started talking bout a weird disease… And the Emergency Situation was declared and all the schools and the shops closed. In TV they said that the infected were dangerous, that if we were infected or had some infected people close, we should call at Emergency number." I shook my head. "I went out one night to get some food, and I saw like twenty of those creatures on the street feeding on a woman. I knew then that was no disease. They were monsters. They were dead, and they were walking among us. People started calling them "walkers", just to avoid the word "zombie" that sounded too much like a fantasy in that moment. The people ran away from their houses, taking just the necessary, going to somewhere safe… I stood on my apartment, you know? The first three months I stood there. I stole some weapons from other apartments and I lived there, killing walkers from the roof, and making occasional expeditions to get food. That's when I learnt how to use the axes. I had no choice. The first walker I killed was my neighbor. Mrs. Shaw. She was a nice old lady, she always offered me to dinner in her apartment. She was in front of my door, scratching the wood and groaning with her old housecoat half ripped out, her face…" I shook my head. "I did it without thinking, more for mercy than for fear. I just didn't want to see her like that. Like a brainless monster."

"You were alone?"

"Yes, and I hadn't nobody to look for, so, looking it in that way, my situation was easier. I only worried bout myself."

"Why you decided to leave? Walkers got to your home?"

I laughed.

"Oh, I wish. No, actually, living people got to my home. They beat me up and tried to take all my food and guns. They tried to… well, you can imagine. The world was a lonely place and men transform into animals easily. Those two guys were the first living people I killed."

Rick looked at me with his eyes wide open.

"I don't know how many walkers I've killed, but I can tell how many men I've murdered." I said. "And I can describe their faces too. Walkers are just that. Dead people walking around, trying to feed themselves. But living people are cruel, evil and twisted. A lot of people lost their minds, the way they were, when everything went to hell. I've changed, yeah, like you. But I'm not cruel. I don't like killing people, watching people suffer. Walkers aren't people now. Maybe they were, but not now. And even so, I try to kill them fast."

"You defended yourself. Those guys deserved to die. Its better kill than die or…"

"Get raped?"

Rick nodded.

"Yes. I… I don't understand it. I neither did it before, so…"

"Cause you're a good man, Rick. You'll never hurt someone on purpose just to get some satisfaction or to watch their pain."

We stood in silence and I lit a cigarette.

"How many men have you killed?" Rick asked. I sighed.

"Seven. Just to protect myself, that's for sure. And I've met some others that I would have killed, but I didn't. I regret it. Who knows what they may be doing know."

Rick sighed.

"I've killed some men too. To protect us."

I nodded.

"This is the world we live in. It's nice that we have this little piece of… I don't know, of life. It's nice to have something and someone to fight for. I was tired of being alone."

Rick surrounded my shoulders with his arm.

"I hope that you find nicer to know that there are some people willing to fight for you. People that would miss you."

I smiled.

"Yeah. I think I like that better."


	5. Chapter 5: Hunt

**_Author's Note: _**_I just want to thank everybody who's reading this... I hope you enjoying reading as I enjoy writing! You can tell me everything in the reviews. Thank You!_

* * *

**CHAPTER V: HUNT **

I wake up in the afternoon, after making guard all night. I yawned and stretched my back, rubbing my eyes. I frowned when I saw something leaning on the wall.

"What the…" I whispered, as I took it. "Oh my God!"

It was a bow. A beautiful, black wooden bow perfectly made. I stretched the string putting the bow in front of me; as if I was gonna shoot. A cover for the arrows was there too, with ten handmade arrows. I almost screamed of joy, like a kid in Christmas.

I dressed up as fast as I could, a black sleeveless t-shirt and some short jeans, and my mountain boots. I went out the cell, with the bow in my hand and the arrows on my back.

"Hey, have you seen Daryl?" I asked Michonne as I saw her sharpening her katana in her cell. She nodded.

"He was sleeping the baby like five minutes ago. In Rick's cell."

"Thank you. Do you like my bow?" I said, raising it for her to watch it better.

"Sure. How you made it? It's difficult to make a bow with good balance, curvy enough."

I smiled.

"I didn't. Daryl made it."

She raised her eyebrows.

"And he gave it to you?"

I smiled.

"Yes. I think he made it for me."

Michonne made a surprised face.

"Wow. That's great."

I nodded and went away, searching for him. Effectively, he was outside Rick's cell, with Lil' Asskicker in his arms, swaying her slowly. I stopped and took a minute to watch him. He was looking at the baby's face with a little smile, Judith comfortably adapted in his strong arms. It was a really sweet picture. That tough man holding a baby in that tender way, the baby feeling safe in his arms, sleeping peacefully. He looked happy with the little girl in his arms. I smiled at them as I came closer slowly. I put a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to see my face, and he smiled at me.

"You're good at this." I whispered caressing the baby's hand.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"She's asleep. I'm gonna put her in her cot."

I nodded as he went inside the cell, where Rick was sleeping, and he went out again. Rick mumbled something to him. "Thank you", he said. Daryl just nodded.

"Can we go outside for a second?" I asked him low. He nodded and came with me to the backyard.

"What?" He said.

I hugged him tight, surrounding his neck with my arms. He stood rigid for a moment, and then I felt his arms surrounding my waist.

"Why's this?" Daryl asked, his breath tickled in my neck. I giggled.

"This is a 'thanks-for-making-me-an-awesome-bow' hug."

He chuckled.

"Ok."

I separated from him and shrugged my shoulders.

"Thanks. Really. I'm…"

He shook his head.

"Never mind…" he mumbled. "Ya have a bow now. So ya gotta learn how to use it."

I clapped, excited.

"Teach me! Please!"

He chuckled.

"Ok, relax. Ya gotta stay calmed if ya want ta shoot a bow."

I nodded.

"Yes, master."

"Ok, try to shoot an arrow at that." He said, pointing a dartboard hanging on the wall. It was handmade, so I thought that may be the one that Rick told me Carl did.

I raised the bow and tried to point it at the bull's eye, but Daryl shook his head.

"Nuh-huh. Ya're doing it wrong. Look at me." He said, taking the bow and shooting an arrow, right on the bull's eye.

"Ok. I feel ridiculous now."

He laughed quietly.

Daryl put the bow in my hand and directed my arm up, till the bow was pointed at the dartboard.

"Put the arrow."

I obeyed, making it the best I could.

"Breathe, woman." He said. I was containing my breath without noticing it, so I exhaled a long breath. "Pull the string till it touches your chin." He said as he grabbed my hand and conducted it to the string. My fingers bended under his as I grabbed the string. Then our hands pulled back the string till it pressed my lips, his fingers against my cheek. I breathed slowly, trying to calm myself. It was difficult to concentrate with that man so close to me. One of his hands taking my hand, guiding it, the other placed in my waist, keeping my position right. I felt his body against mine, his face beside mine. I looked at him by the corner of the eye, he was looking at me.

"Ya ok?" He asked, looking at me half smiling. I sighed.

"Yeah…" I whispered, turning my sight to the dartboard again.

"Ya gotta focus, woman."

"I'm trying."

He chuckled a little, letting slowly go my hand, the one that was pulling the string, and he caressed my arm while he let me go. I felt my heart beating faster as I slowly breathed. _Focus, _I thought. His hands were on both sides of my hips. _Focus, _his breath hit the nape of my neck. _Focus, _his chest was pressed against my back.

"Now." He said, and I shot, hitting six inches from the bull's eye. I rolled my eyes.

"See how I suck?"

He shook his head.

"Just gotta try. Let's do it again."

"Daryl!" Glenn shouted from the guard tower. "Rick's looking for you on the front yard!"

Daryl nodded.

"Keep tryin'." He said. "I gotta go."

I made a sad face as he went further, pouting.

"YOU'RE A REALLY BAD MASTER!" I screamed behind him. He turned his head and smiled at me, I smiled him back.

I felt a shiver and then I prepared another arrow, trying to focus. Without him touching me, it was easier. I shot, hitting out the dartboard.

"Fuck!" I grumbled.

"I can help you, if you wanna." A childish voice said next to me. I turned and faced Carl, who was looking at me with amusement.

"Sure! I've heard you've got good aim." He nodded. "And you won't make me nervous…" I added, for myself.

The kid chuckled.

"Daryl makes you nervous?"

I smiled.

"Drop it. I'm all yours, master."

* * *

I was in patrolling in the yard, walking all around the patio. After two hours training with Carl, I was a bit better, but still sucking anyway. Carl was a communicative kid, and, as we trained, he told me about the past of the group. He told me about Lori, his mom, and about Sophia, Carol's daughter. Carl explained to me that this little girl ran away scared by a couple of walkers and Rick tried to save her hiding her. Anyway, the girl went away and got trapped by some walker. Daryl looked for her for days, almost dying trying it. At the end, the girlie was on the farm where they were living, locked with other walkers in the barn. I shook my head thinking of that. Why in the hell Hershel kept walkers in his lands? I guess that not all of us see things the same way. Carl told me that when Daryl went back, they thought he was a walker. How bad did he had to look for seem a walker?

The night passed calmed and slowly. I thought about Rick's group and everything Carl told me. They were tough. They'd been trough a lot of shit, and here they were, standing on the prison, taking care of women, kids and old people that had nothing to do with them. They were good. Really good. I wouldn't have done the same in their place, but I was glad that they were better than me. That's the reason I was there.

I went to the cafeteria when my patrol ended, hungry. Hershel gave me some scrambled eggs and I ate them slowly, enjoying them.

"These eggs are delicious, Doc." I said. He smiled at me.

"I'm glad you like them."

I nodded.

"I'm feeling so bored I think I'm gonna die." A voice said behind me. A group of women, maybe in their thirties, were talking around a table behind me. Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie were talking beside the door, but they hadn't heard them. Rick gave me a quick glance I couldn't interpret.

"Yeah. There's nothing to do in here. Just working, cleaning, washing, cooking…"

I sighed frustrated as I heard them talk. What the hell? They were complaining about being bored? Huh? They were alive, why they couldn't shut up? I shook my head, couldn't believe that people were so stupid and ungrateful.

"Yes. Sometimes I miss…"

"What?" I said, turning around to face them. "What do you miss? Woodbury?"

One of the women, named Holly, shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, Alice, there were a lot of good things in there…"

I puffed.

"You lived a fantasy in Woodbury. A fantasy that a crazy man created. As you slept in your beds, after a fucking great day," I got up, getting angrier with every word. "Your Governor was planning atrocities, having heads in bowls and torturing people. Or you miss those _awesome_ nights when Merle and some other asshole fought surrounded by zombies?" I laughed "That was a _great _entertainment, wasn't it?"

One of the women shook her head, Rick and Daryl came closer to me.

"Alice, we were just saying…"

"You were saying _shit_. Shut the fuck up, 'cause y'all had a safe place to sleep, Woodbury, this prison or whatever. The closest you've been to a walker was in those party nights, while I stayed in my room thinking y'all were INSANE FUCKERS!"

"Wow, wow…" Rick said, getting closer and grabbing me by my shoulders "I think you should get out, breathe some fresh air." He said, as he gave Daryl a look and he went away, Rick grabbed my waist and guided me out of the prison.

"And my name is _Alicia_, you stupid bitches!" I shouted as I went out, breathing hard.

As the sun hit my face, I shook my head, getting my ideas clearer.

"What was _that_?" Rick asked, resting a hand in my shoulder. I rubbed my eyes with my hands.

"Sorry. I just… they drove me mad, that's all. I couldn't stand their complaints, I just…"

Rick pulled me closer to him, holding me. I stayed rigid under his embrace, surprised by the closeness of the dark haired man.

"Easy, Alicia…" he whispered, and I got relaxed in his arms, feeling a little better. No man had _ever _held me that way. In a tender, fatherly way, making me feel like a little girl again, a girl somebody was protecting. It felt good. I frowned as I sighed and pressed myself against Rick, enjoying the sensation. That was how the girls felt when their father or their brothers held them? They felt this good, this safe? I could hear the calmed beating of his heart. I opened my eyes. He was not my father, not my brother, not my family- my family was a crap. But nobody made me feel that way in my whole life. I felt safe with Daryl, but not the same way. When we separated, I was embarrassed.

"I should go and apologize…" I mumbled, not really that I felt sorry, but it was the right thing in Rick's eyes, and I knew it. But he shook his head.

"No, it's ok. I'll talk with them later. I think you should go out, explore the outskirts, the woods. I think you're not the kind of girl that can feel good locked up so much time."

I frowned. It was weird. Rick wanted me to go outside, on my own, just for walk? That made nonsense. It was true that I was starting to freak out being always in the same place, having always somebody around me, passing the days between the infirmary and the guards… but even so…

"What's that suppose to mean?" I said, insecure.

Then, somebody put a bow in my shoulder. I looked at Daryl, shocked.

"We're goin' huntin', woman."

* * *

"What happened in there?" Daryl asked, turning back to look at me. I kept looking at the floor. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I had to say something. They angered me."

"What's your problem with them? Ya're more friend of us than of Woodbury people."

"That's cause I hadn't friends in Woodbury, but Merle. I was trapped. And I feel some resentment against them."

"Why's that?" He whispered.

"'Cause they trusted him."

Daryl looked at me.

"Ya talking bout Governor?"

I nodded.

"Yeah."

"What he did to ya?"

I sighed quietly.

"Maybe someday, Dixon."

Daryl nodded, understanding me.

Four hours had passed since we went out of the prison. Daryl and I moved slowly through the trees, keeping our guard on to notice if something happened around us. We talked low, but most of time we were in silence, listening the woods. Daryl killed some squirrels, but we were looking for a bigger prey, something we can really feed on. A deer would be nice.

It was Daryl's idea to bring me with him. Apparently, he told Rick about it before I burst in the cafeteria, knowing that I was going to appreciate that. The silence, the smell of the woods, it all was great. Daryl was on his element too, I noticed it. He was a real hunter, moving slowly through the branches, without making any noise, any noise at all. I tried my best to imitate him, not succeeding at all. I walked a step behind, and he turned almost every minute to look how I was doing. Meanwhile, I watched his muscled arms and shoulders, his messy hair or (why deny it) his butt, knowing he couldn't see me. This man was starting to drive me crazy. We were alone in the woods; maybe this was the time for him to try something. God knows I will be receptive. But he didn't seem to have any intention further than hunt some deer and go back, both of us alive and with fresh meat. I sighed in silence. Why on Earth, in the fucking zombie apocalypse, did I have to like the only guy that can control his instincts with this perfection? Any other guy would have pounded over me and had me satisfied in a while. I wasn't asking that much. Just a little of Daryl Dixon's loving. Maybe he wasn't interested, not as much as me. I cursed myself for meeting this guy and for feeling the way I was feeling. I was resigned to never meet a man who could make me sweat just to see him, a man that could make my heart beat faster when he smiled at me. And then Daryl fucking Dixon appeared. I wasn't expecting that Merle's brother could be that gentle, kind, good. I was expecting another Merle, just a rough and funny guy. But Daryl was the opposite at Merle. Daryl was rough sometimes, and funny too, but in a whole different way. Daryl had a sense of loyalty, of decency that Merle didn't had. And he was so manly, so sexy and so handsome that I just… I didn't know what to do. I was starting to want him badly, but I didn't know what to do next. Rick's advice had sense, and I wasn't ready for a reject reaction if he didn't want to or he wasn't ready. I was so deep in my thoughts, that I didn't saw the root that was sticking out the dirt, and I tripped over, hitting the floor. I put my hands and didn't hit my face, but I grumped, annoyed.

"Ya ok?" Daryl said, bending down in front of me, offering me his hand.

I kneeled, trying to put aside the strands of my hair that were hanging in front of my face. Daryl was looking at me with an expression I couldn't interpret. His eyes glowing, his lips pressed. Maybe he was a bit irritated for me to make that noise with my fall. I nodded.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

He chuckled a little.

"For what?"

I inclined my head.

"For the noise."

"Don't be silly. Sit down. Let me see yar knees."

I made a surprised face and obeyed him, sitting down and resting my back against a tree. My knees were scratched, nothing serious. Daryl took off his bottle of water as I blew out a strand of my hair that was bothering me, tickling in my face. It flew a moment and then fell on my face again. I retired it with my hands, putting it behind my ear. Daryl spilt some water on his hands and washed my knees, touching me gently. I sighed at his sweet contact. It was funny that a man that had killed a squirrel some minutes ago, with an awesome aim and without blinking, the man that could gut, skin and clean any animal with his bare hands could touch this smooth someone. I looked at his concentrated face, as if he was doing something really difficult. I smiled.

"I'm sorry." I repeated.

"For what now?" He said, looking at me as he was still cleaning my ridiculous scratches.

"I'm delaying you. Your hunt would have been better without me. I'm noisy and, apparently, clumsy."

He chuckled looking at my eyes. His hands moved upper my legs, apparently unnoticing it, Daryl said:

"Ya're doing it good. We're not having luck, that's all. Ya're not noisy, and anyone can trip in this woods. Don't ya worry."

I smiled.

"Beside you, I'm a disaster."

"Well, I've been huntin' since I was a kid. I had a forest near my house. I used to go huntin' with Merle; we always killed our own meat. I've practiced a lot."

His wet hands were massaging my thighs, but I didn't say a word.

"If I tell you something, you wouldn't laugh at me?"

He smiled.

"Can't promise."

I chuckled.

"Before this entire zombie shit, I was a vegetarian."

Daryl pressed his lips, serious, and then he burst into loud laughs. I looked at him pretending to be offended.

"Hey! Don't mock me!"

He kept on laughing, sitting on the floor, taking his hands off me. I laughed as well at his contagious laughter.

"A… fucking… vegetarian… god, woman…" he said, between hard breathes, couldn't stop laughing.

"I shouldn't have told you…" I mumbled. He shook his hand.

"It's ok… it's just…" he started laughing again.

"You're scaring the animals within three miles."

"I don't give a fuck… it's just… too funny…"

"Ok, I get it. I'm hilarious. Can we go on, please?" I said, giving him a soft push, making him fall on the floor. He stood laying in there, laughing his pretty ass off. If it had been someone else, maybe I've got a little angry, but I just loved to see him laugh like that. His laugh was fresh and great, and I loved to hear it. I never heard it like that, so I was a little proud that I provoked it. I just kept looking at him, amused with his fit of laughter.

"Daryl, come on…" I said, grabbing his arms and trying to pull him up, but he was stronger than me and I fell over him, laughing at the scene. What a couple of hunters, for God's sake.

"Ah…" he sighed, when he stopped laughing. I was laying on him, my chest against his chest, my face almost touching his. "I can't believe it."

I giggled.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah… oh God, I hadn't laughed like this since… actually I can't remember the last time I laughed like this."

"Me neither." I said.

I was thinking that maybe that time was the better time to try something, just a little, in a subtle way, maybe just getting a little closer... But he got serious in a second and put his index finger in front of his mouth, indicating me to stay silent. He pointed at our right and as I look I saw a beautiful big deer standing in there, chewing something and moving the ears. I got up slowly from him, trying to not make any noise. Daryl grabbed his crossbow as he got up quietly. He pointed his crossbow at the deer and shot an arrow, right to the heart. The beautiful animal fell on the floor, and we got closer. The deer was dead.

"You're…"

He looked at me, as he took out his knife and opened the skin of the deer. I shrugged my nose.

"I'm what?" He said, skinning out the animal.

"Just… a great shooter."

He nodded.

"Thanks. Help with this, woman."

I sighed as I helped him.

We carried the deer's meat shared in our bags, as we made our way back to the prison. We saw a couple of walkers near the zone, so Daryl made his mind that we won't find any other animal around.

"These fuckers scare them out." He said, recovering an arrow from a walker's skull.

We kept going, and he killed some more squirrels as we got to the prison. We hurried up, because we were covered of deer's blood and we knew walkers could smell us. The couple we killed was the confirmation of that. When we were like two miles to the prison, we stopped our walk, surprised by a wild boar passing right in front of us. Without doubting a second, Daryl killed him, and we did again the same that we did to the deer. Just that this skin was thicker and the animal smelt worse. We shared the meat again and kept going, until we reach the prison. Rick was waiting for us at the door, and so was Carl. Glenn distracted the walkers so we could reach the railing and, running fast as we could we entered at the yard. As Daryl wanted, both of us alive and with fresh meat.

"How was it?" Rick asked, looking at our hands and faces. We were sweaty and bloody. Yuck.

"Great." Daryl said, taking my bag gently, freeing me from the weight. I moved my shoulders and my neck, trying to relax the muscles. "We bring a deer and a boar. Good ones."

He took off the meat and gave it to Rick, Carl and Glenn, they smiled.

"Wow, you guys should go hunting more often…" Rick said, but I shook my head.

"I didn't make a thing. I was only bothering Daryl."

Daryl chuckled.

"She's lying."

I raised my eyebrows.

"How I've helped you, huh? Did I make something?"

He smiled.

"Yeah." He said, but he didn't explain what. "We should go showering now. Go ahead; I'll go in a minute."

I raised my eyebrows, but I shrugged and I began walking to the bathroom. I saw Maggie and Carol bringing dry clothes inside the prison. They looked at me with a funny look. God knows what they were thinking.

"Hey, Alicia!" Maggie said. "How was it with the Crossbow Boy?"

I sighed.

"Good. We had a little incident related to a fit of laughter, but we got some preys anyway."

They giggled.

"What he did to make you laugh?" Carol asked, as we got inside the building. I chuckled.

"Who says I was the one that laughed?"

The two women looked at each other, amusingly shocked.

"Daryl? Really?" Maggie said "I think I've never heard him laugh."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, he knows how to do it. And today…" I smiled remembering his roars of laughter. "I gotta go to the shower. See ya later."

They had a strange look, but I wanted to get to the shower before Daryl did. I didn't want to undress in front of him, so I hurried up.

I arrived to the bathroom after making a little stop in my cell for getting some clean clothes and my toilet bag. I undressed myself; I put the dirty clothes on the sink and brought the dry ones with me, I left them in the floor far enough for them to not get wet. I turned the water on; it was cold, but it was great. I moaned with pleasure as the water hit my skin. I couldn't even remember how it was to shower with hot water, but just to shower was wonderful. I took the shampoo and started rubbing my head with my fingers, closing my eyes.

I heard footsteps and put my head off the wall that was occulting me. Daryl was standing there, unbuttoning his shirt as he looked over at my dirty clothes on the sink.

"Hey there." I said, looking at him with a smile and my hair covered of bubbles. He looked at me for a second, and then he looked away, although he just could see my face. "Don't worry Dixon." I sighed.

"Hi." He said "Ya ok?"

I put my head under the water again, shouting:

"As good as I can be!"

The water washed away the blood and the sweat. My skin gone more sensible as the water hit me. I heard other shower on and I knew Daryl was showering too.

I finished the shower and I dried myself quickly, and I heard Daryl turning off the shower too. I bended down and took my clean clothes, and I saw Daryl by the eye's corner. He was on his black boxers, having his back to me. I stared at him, opening my mouth, and my eyes went wet.

He had some tattoos in his back, but it wasn't what I was looking. His back was covered of big scars, all over his skin. They were clearly not caused by this kind of life; they were from when he was younger. He said that his father used to hit him, but I couldn't imagine it was that bad. His body was perfectly shaped, his legs strong and his back muscled. But I couldn't see anything else than his scars. I saw he was going to turn around, so I hid behind the wall of the shower, holding my clothes. I started dressing, trying to hold on the tears from my eyes. I was shocked, and I knew he thought I wasn't watching, so I gotta pretend I hadn't seen a thing.

I came out the shower just to see him buttoning his pants, with his shirt open. God. I breathed slowly, trying to focus. In that moment, having him in front of me, with his pants unbuttoned, his shirt open, a quick thought came to my mind. What would happen if I threw my toilet bag and my towel to the floor? What would happen if I would get closer to him, grabbing his hair and I brought his face closer to mine, kissing him? What if I kissed his lips roughly and hungrily, as I wanted to? What if I ripped off his shirt and his pants? What if he had me there, on the bathroom sink? I bit my lip, he looked at me.

"Ya ok?"

I sighed. I guess it was just a thought.

"Yeah." I said, going to the sink and washing my dirty clothes. "Do you want me to wash your clothes?"

Daryl came closer, looking at me puzzled.

"What's wrong, woman?"

I looked at him. What's wrong? That I want you to want me as bad as I want you. Does it even make sense? I forced a smile.

"Nothing. Why?"

Daryl shrugged.

"Dunno. Ya look strange."

I maintained his stare; his blue eyes pierced every part of me. He was frowning. God, this man was starting to know me quite well. I shook my head.

"You want me to wash your clothes or not?"

"No, it's ok. I'll do it."

We washed our clothes in silence. In my mind there was a mix of images: his lips against mines, his hands all over my body, his body pressed against mine… and his scars. The marks that he wore that were the signals of a fucked up childhood, the evidences that his life sucked before all this happened. Those scars made me think of Daryl in other different way; not like a hot and tough young man, but like a scared child beat up by his father, without anyone to protect him. A younger Daryl appeared on my mind, he didn't have facial hair and his hair was shorter, his blue eyes looked enormous in a childish face. His face was expressionless, but his eyes weren't; the fear that those eyes showed was heartbreaking, and it was hard to believe that there wasn't anybody to stand for the little Daryl, a smart, loving and scared kid that was defenseless. I looked at Daryl by the corner of the eye. He was washing his clothes frowning, his lips pressed. I would have given an arm to figure out what he was thinking of. That little kid grew up to became this extraordinary man. And even so, he had those marks to remind him what he went through. Why nobody cared about him? Why? He deserved it, dammit. I sighed as I thought that I didn't understand how Daryl was the way he was without any good example to follow. Merle wasn't good at that. Merle just didn't know what to do, he tried to turn him into a man, a tough man, but he made Daryl felt worse about himself. That's the impression I had. For some reason, Daryl achieved being a good man, being better than all the ones that surrounded him all his life. I was looking at him, when he realized he raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ya sure ya're ok?"

I smiled.

"You're a long way better than I expected, Dixon." I said, picking up my now cleaned clothes. "I'm glad that you're here."

He turned his eyes back to the sink, grumbling. I smiled at his suddenly rough attitude. I turned my back, and then he called my name. I turned around again. He was looking at me embarrassed, with my lacy black bra in his hand.

"It fell." He said, stretching it to me. I smiled, and my good mood returned when I saw his expression. God, it was like he was holding a womanly bomb or something. I came closer, grabbing it.

"It's cute, isn't it?" I said, looking at Daryl over the bra. His face turned red as he looked at my eyes "I stole a lot of underwear of a Victoria's Secret store."

He nodded and kept washing, his face was still red. I laughed out loud.

"God, Dixon, is just a bra. Why you so embarrassed?"

He shrugged.

"Dunno."

I smiled at him and turned my back, walking away. But, before leaving the bathroom I stopped at the doorway, turning back to him. He looked at me.

"I swear it looks better on me."

_Need signals? Then you'll get them._ He looked at me raising his eyebrows, biting his lower lip. I laughed and went away, leaving his quiet chuckles behind.


	6. Chapter 6: The lake

**CHAPTER VI: THE LAKE**

Some days passed since the day I went hunting with Daryl. Though Hershel and Rick did a good job rationing the meat, it couldn't last forever, and Daryl went hunting again, this time with a tall Afro-American man, named Tyreese, and Carl. The kid wanted badly to go with them and Daryl and I united our powers to convince a reticent Rick to let him. Finally, the kid had the permission and they got ready to go into the forest. I sighed. I wanted to go, but we had a little emergency: Ellen, a young blonde girl that I knew from seeing her in the streets of Woodbury, was in labor. Hershel asked me to stay there and help him with the birth. I looked at him scared, but finally he convinced me.

"Ya don't wanna come?" Daryl asked me, preparing his bag. Carl was next to us, excited like only a kid can be. I crossed my arms, frowning.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. I gotta help Hershel with the baby that's coming. It's gonna be a _real_ funny day."

Daryl got up, looking at me.

"Ya know how to help a woman in her labor?"

I moved my head slowly.

"Nope. But I know how to give towels at Hershel, and how to stitch. I guess that's why I'm staying. Believe me; I'd rather go to the forest with you."

Daryl smiled.

"Last time we had some fun, huh?"

I chuckled.

"Well, especially you. But I liked it too."

He nodded.

"I'm not sure 'bout this. I prefer goin' alone to the woods." He said, looking at Carl by the eye's corner.

I smiled.

"You brought me with you and it went well."

"Fine. I prefer goin' alone to the woods _or_ with ya."

"Why?"

He shrugged. He always did that when he didn't know what to say. I smiled and squeezed his arm softly.

"Be careful out there, ok? I want you back."

He smiled a little, looking at the floor.

"We're ready!" Tyreese said with his deep voice. Daryl nodded at him.

"Well, see ya later, ok?" He said, getting closer to me and giving me a quick kiss in the forehead. I looked at him raising my eyebrows. "Take care."

I nodded and watched him turn around, going out the railing and entering the woods. That little sign of affection caught me off guard, and now I couldn't take the smile off my face. I turned around, going to the infirmary, and I found Maggie's and Glenn's eyes on me. They were smiling, looking at me amused.

"What?" I said, smiling too, passing by their side.

"What was that?" Maggie asked, pointing to the place where Daryl and I said goodbye. I shrugged my shoulders.

"I was telling him to be careful, he did the same."

Glenn smirked.

"Sure, and the kiss?"

I chuckled.

"You're a couple of gossips. We're friends. It was a friendly kiss."

Maggie nodded.

"Sure. I guess when he come back you two will get _friendly_, huh?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously, guys. We're friends."

They chuckled and I went inside the infirmary, ignoring them. But I was happy that Daryl gave me that innocent kiss.

The pregnant girl was groaning in the stretcher, so I cleaned my hands while I tried to keep my mind clear. No thinking of Daryl while working. But Ellen was only starting to dilate, so, actually, I passed a lot of time just standing there, without anything to do, and Daryl came quickly to my mind. It was weird giving so much importance to a simple kiss in the forehead. I mean, it was a gesture that Rick could have done too, and I wouldn't be thinking so much about it. _Well, you don't see Rick the same way you see Daryl. _I nodded at my thoughts. Rick was more like an older brother, a friend, and Daryl was not like that at all. I was closer to Daryl than to Rick, and we were friends, but I couldn't help to think of him like more than just a friend. He woke things inside of me that I never felt before.

I sighed as I watched Ellen complaining laying on the stretcher. It was a sad and a happy moment at the same time. Having a baby these days was like a brush of fresh air, the evidence that life still existing. But, what kind of life would have this baby? How long will he live? Days, months? Will he learn to walk, to talk? My thoughts travelled to Lil' Asskicker. Poor Rick and poor Carl. The kid told me his mom died giving birth. I'm sure that was a tough thing to handle for Rick. Losing his wife, having two kids…

"Alicia! Come closer." Hershel called. I obeyed, not that I wanted to, but it was my duty.

The woman was much more dilated now and it was the time.

* * *

I went out the infirmary and lit a cigarette, sitting on the floor. I took the longest drag I could and let the smoke leave my mouth slowly. I rubbed my sweaty forehead as I listened the baby crying inside. Five hours had passed since I entered the infirmary. God, it wasn't pretty to see a baby's birth. Everybody talks about the miracle of life, but nobody mention the screams, the blood and how many times the mother pleads you to stop the pain.

"How was it?" Rick asked close to me. I raised my eyes to meet his, and he bended down by my side. Carol and Maggie were there too.

"God, right now I hate sex." I whispered as I took another drag and they chuckled.

"Tell me that again tomorrow." Maggie said, smiling. I sighed.

"Are they ok?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, both of them, mother and child, are alive and healthy. I'm traumatized, though, but I guess it worth it."

Rick patted my shoulder and I saw a sad glint in his eyes. I rested my hand on his knee, giving him a little squeeze.

"Judith will have a friend now. It's a boy. Ellen told me his name is Jeremy."

Rick nodded. I knew he was thinking of Lori.

"I'll come in to see if they need anything." Carol said, caressing my hair in her way in.

"And I'm going to eat something." I said. "Wanna come with me?"

Rick shook his head.

"I'm patrolling in the yard. I want to be here when Carl come back."

I bit my lip, thinking.

"They hadn't come back yet?"

"No, but it's soon. "

I sighed.

"I'll go get some food and I'll come back, I'm gonna patrol with you." I said as I got up.

Rick raised his eyebrows.

"But you don't have guard time today."

I nodded.

"Yeah, but I wanna be here when they come back too."

I went out five minutes later with an awesome apple. I searched for Rick in the patio, with my hand over my eyes, trying to protect me form the sun. Mental note: get myself some sunglasses. I found him near the guard tower.

"Hey! Fruit!" I said with a smile when I got to him, raising the apple. He smiled me back.

"Yeah. Beth saw an apple tree not far from here. Is it good?"

I bit it, rolling my eyes.

"Delicious!"

He chuckled and we started walking. I looked at that tall, dark haired man with a sad look in his blue eyes.

"Are you ok?" I said. He sighed.

"Yeah. It's just that today I'm thinking a lot about someone."

I doubted, but I knew that if I didn't ask, he wouldn't talk.

"Someone named Lori?"

He looked at me biting the internal part of his lip.

"Yeah."

"It's normal that you think about her a lot. She was your wife, you loved her…"

He shook his head.

"I don't know if she knew it."

I was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Lori and I had problems. And I think she died thinking that I didn't love her anymore."

I sighed.

"I understand. But I know you and I know Carl. Lori was a lucky woman."

"I feel guilty."

I frowned.

"It wasn't your fault, Rick, she just…"

"No, I'm not talking about her death, I'm…" He looked behind me, and I saw that guilt feeling in his eyes, all his face said so.

I looked back, trying to see what he was seeing. He was looking at the guard tower, where Michonne was making guard, leaning on the banister, looking at the woods, alone. I frowned for a moment, I couldn't see what Michonne had to do with his guilt feeling, but the truth hit me when she looked at us and looked away in a second.

"Oh." I said, understanding. "Oh."

Wow. Rick and Michonne. Really? I thought about it for a minute, and surprisingly, it made sense.

"You two are together?"

Rick shook his head and looked at me shocked.

"What? Who?"

"You and Michonne."

He opened his eyes wider.

"What? No! Where do you get that from?"

I shrugged.

"Well, I though that was the reason you were feeling guilty…"

"No. I can't think about that kind of stuff right now."

I nodded.

"Well, I'm sure Lori would understand it. And it's normal that you remake your life again. It's ok."

He didn't say a thing. After five minutes in silence, he chuckled.

"How you doing with Daryl?"

Ok, subject change. I smiled.

"Fine, I guess. He's a great guy."

"Daryl told me the hunting day went well. He actually said 'it'd been funny'."

I smirked.

"Yeah, it was." I wanted to change the subject too. "Can I ask you about something?"

"Sure."

"Can you tell me how you made it when you wake up from your coma?"

He started his story and the hours went by, while I made some questions and he kept telling me. He was communicative, and it seemed that he told me the truth. He told me about all the ones who died on their way. Ed, Jim, Jackie, Amy, Sophia, Shane, T-Dog, Lori, Axel, Oscar… too many. At least that was a problem I didn't have. I had always been on my own, even before the zombie thing; I didn't have anyone to look after or to bring with me. I hadn't lost anybody; I hadn't seen nobody that I loved turned into a walker.

We went to have dinner and they hadn't come back yet. I was starting to worry. The sun was starting to hide, and having them in the woods at night wasn't a funny image. After eating an insipid soup, I went out again, and Rick stood inside with the baby. I sat beside the door, biting my lip. I had this weird feeling, my heart felt heavy and I had a knot in my stomach. It was nine o'clock now. They'd been in the woods for ten hours. I got up and walked to the railing, ignoring the walkers grabbing it. Maybe they got lost? No, Daryl had a perfect orientation. I puffed, impatient.

Something moved in the trees. I stretched my neck, trying to see something despite the darkness. Three figures went out, walking slowly. I recognized Daryl's silhouette.

"They're back!" I shouted "Open the doors!"

Glenn came with the keys and we waited for them to come closer, with Carol and Beth distracting the walkers. They walked slowly, and I saw Tyreese was leaning on Daryl, walking on one leg. I knew something happened. When they got closer, we opened the door to let them in.

"What happened?" Rick said, running to us. Daryl was carrying Tyreese to the prison, breathing hardly.

"We got surrounded by zombies." Carl explained "We tried to escape, but one of them grabbed Tyreese by the ankle. We think it's broken."

Daryl left Tyreese on the stool beside the door; where I was sit some minutes ago.

"You're ok?" Rick asked Daryl and Carl.

"Yeah. They didn't get us." Daryl answered, resting his hands on his knees. "But they were close."

My heart beat fast, my eyes were itching. _They were close_…

"Fuck…" I whispered, Daryl turned around, facing me. "Are you hurt?"

"Nah. I'm just tired."

"Fuck, Dixon." I said, getting closer and surrounding his neck with my arms. "You scared the shit out of me…"

He surrounded my waist with his arms, squeezing me softly.

"Hey, I'm ok. I'm back, as ya told me."

"Shut up." I said against his chest. "Just shut up."

They brought Tyreese inside, and Carl went too. I didn't let Daryl go, so we stand out there, holding each other. Hell, that was what the others felt when someone they cared of was in danger? It was a terrible feeling. I was so relieved in that moment that I just couldn't do anything else than holding him. He smelt of sweat and woods, and I loved it. It was a really intimate moment; I noticed it in the atmosphere around us. He dug his face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

"C'mon, woman." He said.

"I knew something happened."

"But nothing happened. Just a couple of walkers."

I raised my face, looking at his face. He was smiling.

"You think this is funny? A couple of walkers? I'm sure there was some more than a couple…"

"I couldn't risk the kid. I could have fought them, but I didn't wanna put Carl in the middle of that situation."

I nodded, separating from him.

"Ok. Let's go inside. You should be hungry."

"Hell yeah." He said, surrounding my shoulders with one arm.

"What have you brought?"

He sighed.

"Nuthin'. We went behind a deer, but the walkers scared all the animals away."

I rolled my eyes.

"What a waste of time."

Daryl nodded.

"Yeah. Wanna come with me tomorrow?"

We arrived to the cafeteria, we sit on stools and Beth brought Daryl some food.

"You'll be back there tomorrow? You should get some rest."

He shook his head, chewing.

"Nah. I'm ok. I just need to sleep. Tomorrow we can try goin' to the west; I haven't explored that area yet."

"Can I go?" Carl asked, hopeful.

"No!" Rick, Daryl and I said at the same time. The kid frowned.

"I'll go." I said. "Let's see if we have the same luck that the last day."

"Maybe she's your amulet, Daryl." Glenn said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe." Daryl said, looking at his plate.

* * *

"And Merle was standing there, raising his hands and laughin', and when the cop handcuffed him, he said: 'I'm sorry, agent; I can't see what I did wrong'."

"Really?" I said, laughing quietly. "With the guy on the floor?"

"Yeah. The poor man had his nose broken and all his teeth were around the floor, but Merle tried to look innocent."

"Yeah, he hadn't achieved it even if he _was_ innocent. Probably the cops would have arrested him anyway."

Daryl chuckled.

"Yeah, probably."

We were walking through the trees, talking low.

"And tell me, you've ever been in jail?"

He looked at me smiling.

"Ya mean, before I lived in one, huh?"

I laughed.

"Yeah, before this."

"Not really. Well, I'd passed some nights in a cell after some bar fight, but never really got jailed. And ya? Ya ever had been behind bars?"

I smirked.

"Once. Just like you. I had a bar fight."

Daryl raised his eyebrows.

"C'mon, tell me."

I chuckled.

"Well, a guy tried to get a laid and I didn't wanna. Typical. The thing got ugly when he started to press me and I slapped him. He turned away, calling me whore, and I couldn't help to break a bottle in his head."

Daryl laughed out loud.

"Really? And they arrested you?"

"Yeah. I got out in the morning, and made a different walk of shame that the one I was used to."

Daryl laughed.

"Oh, woman, I'm sure we could have had some fun back at those days."

I nodded.

"Sure. I haven't seen the drunk Daryl yet."

He shook his head.

"If we get some whiskey bottle someday, we'll share it. I wanna see the drunk Alicia too. Seems funny."

"Oh, she is. Maybe even too funny."

"How's that?"

"I used to lose control pretty often. You know that crazy girl in every bar, dancing on the billiards table? That's me."

He laughed and we moved to a wall of branches, we started cutting them off with my axes.

"Ya know, I think I would have liked to see that. Ya know the guy who's standing beside the billiards, looking at the crazy girl? That would have been me, if I had met ya 'fore this."

I laughed out loud.

"What's wrong? You don't like the sober Alicia?" I asked.

"Yeah, I like her much. But I know everything is better with a couple of shots."

I giggled.

"Nah, you're wrong. Everything is _easier_ with a couple of shots."

He nodded.

"Maybe ya're right."

We passed through the branches and we got to a lake. A big beautiful lake with clean fresh water.

"Holy fuck!" I said, getting closer to the lake and bending down to touch the water with my fingers.

Daryl stood beside me smiling and we looked at each other. I got up and raised an eyebrow at him, kicking my boots off and leaving my jacket on the floor.

"What da hell ya're doin', woman?" Daryl said, looking at me amusingly shocked.

"I'm gonna have bath." I said, taking my t-shirt off. Daryl raised his eyebrows when I stood in front of him at my black bra.

"Naked?" He asked, nearly laughing.

"Nah. C'mon Dixon, never seen a girl in bikini? This is the same, but just for you." I said, as I took my shorts and my socks. I took off my ponytail and shook my head, loosing my hair. I turned back and leave it all on the floor, on the jacket. I looked at him by the corner of my eye and I saw Daryl was checking out my ass. I smiled. I was wearing black panties as well, lacy kind, with low cut. _Well, at least I'm wearing nice underwear_, I thought. For how Daryl was looking at me, he was thinking something similar.

I turned to him, he looked away. I shrugged my shoulders and went slowly into the water, knowing he was looking at me. God, the water was really cold. I shivered a little and I got goose pimples all over my body. I looked back at Daryl once I was covered by water till my armpits. He was standing there, biting his lip, doubting.

"Daryl, come in." I said. He looked at me. "Please, don't leave here me alone." I begged, making a sad face, pouting.

He rolled his eyes and sighed, and then he left his crossbow on the floor and started unbuttoning his sleeveless shirt, looking at me. I raised my fists.

"Yeah, Dixon, strip for me!" I laughed. He rolled his eyes as he left his shirt on the floor and then he unbuttoned his jeans. I submerged a little more in the water till it covered my lips, my hair floating around me. He took his jeans, his boots and his socks, standing with his black and grey boxers. I raised an eyebrow at his body. His arms were well muscled, just as his slightly-hairy chest. His stomach plane, with nice abs. His legs were muscled too, the result of the extreme fighting to survive he'd been through, like me.

He came to the water and entered quickly, opening his mouth.

"Fuck, this is fuckin' cold, fuck!" He said, coming to me.

"Well said!" I said, laughing.

"Dammit…" he got goose pimples too. "How can… how can you…"

He was shivering.

"Stand it?" I said getting closer to him. "I'm used to coldness. When your balls turn to its place you'll finish your phrases."

He giggled.

"Well… I'm… I'm in." he said. "Ya happy now?"

I smiled; we were inches apart, floating. I put my hands on his shoulders to keep my balance.

"Yes I am." I said. "Cold water is good for the body, enjoy it."

Daryl shook his head.

"If… if ya say… so…"

I chuckled.

"Oh, you crybaby…" I said, surrounding his neck with my arms, bringing closer my body to his. "Better now?"

He looked at me and nodded.

"Ya're the only girl I know that would take her clothes off like that in front of a guy." he said, and I felt that he surrounded my waist with his arms, getting me even closer. My breasts were crushed to his chest, our stomachs against each other.

"But you're not 'a guy'. I trust you, Daryl."

He smiled.

"Seriously?"

"Sure. I feel safe with you. You're the kind of man I would have chosen to have close to me in a zombie apocalypse. Wait a minute…" I said putting one finger on my chin, pretending to be thinking. Daryl laughed out loud and rested his chin against my shoulder. I was shocked. I didn't expect that Daryl would feel this comfortable being so close, that he would be the one that took the lead. I loved it. "You know, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ok." He said.

"The day we met you told me you understood why Merle liked me. What were you talking about?"

He sighed.

"Ya really askin' that?"

"Yup."

"It's clear ta me. Ya're the kind of girl that would have liked a guy like Merle. Well, almost every guy in my town…"

"Really?"

"Sure. Pretty, funny, cheeky and… well… hot." I laughed. "But maybe ya're too smart for a guy like Merle. He didn't try anythin' with ya?"

I shook my head.

"Not really. He told me a couple of times that I needed a man to get into my pants." I chuckled. "But nothing else."

We both stand in silence for some minutes; I rested my head in his shoulder. I'm not sure that Merle wasn't thinking about his brother when he told me that kind of stuff. _Ya need a Dixon, girlie;_ he said so many times, _a real man to get a good fuckin' laid. _I smiled remembering him. I was feeling Daryl's breath on me and his body touching my body, and I was feeling so good I closed my eyes to enjoy the moment. He said I was pretty, funny and smart. I smiled.

"So… a skull, huh?" He said, and I laughed, still resting my head in his shoulder.

"You were looking, dirty fucker." I said. "Yeah, I got that tattoo in the middle of my back when I was fifteen… young and stupid, you know."

"Like the demons in my back."

I thought about that time I saw his naked back in the showers. There was something more eye-catching in his back than his tattoos.

"And the scars?" I whispered.

"I'm not cold anymore." He said. Ok, he didn't want to talk about it. I smiled and looked at him.

"See? It's not that bad." I said and I tried to separate a bit from him, but he didn't let me, he was holding me tight.

"Just 'cause ya're here."

I laughed.

"I'm here to keep you warm, apparently." I said, looking at his unbelievable-but-true-blue eyes.

"And why am I here?" Daryl said.

"Dunno. To hold me close?"

Daryl smiled and his face came closer to mine.

"That's right ta me."

I felt his breath in my lips as I smiled.

We heard a low moan that made us both jump. Three walkers were on the side of the lake, where our clothes were, coming to us slowly.

"Fuck!" Daryl said, and we separated quickly, going to the shore and avoiding them to get our weapons.

Daryl got his crossbow and killed the walker that was closer to me, as I was putting an arrow at the bow. The blood of the walker splashed my body, and I raised my bow and shot it. I hit the walker in the forehead and it fell down. Daryl killed the other with one shot.

We looked at each other and I started laughing.

"Good shot." Daryl said.

"I made it!" I said, laughing nervously. "I shot it! Daryl, had you seen it? I made a good shot!"

"Yeah, I saw that. And your belly is covered of blood."

I looked down and made a disgust sound.

"I'll clean it."

"Yeah, and we should go. We better came back before it gets dark."

Oh. End of magic.

We got to the prison a couple of hours later, after hunting two dear that were so heavy my back was hurting. We kept joking in our way back, pretending that the bath in the lake was just a bath. Fucking walkers. He was about to kiss me! God knows when he'll try again.

Everybody laughed of joy when they saw the meat we were bringing.

"_Definitely_, you two should go hunting more often." Rick said, carrying the meat to the kitchen with us.

We ate something and then I prepared to go to the guard tower.

"You'll be alone up there tonight if you don't care." Maggie said to me. "I'm not feeling well."

I shrugged my nose.

"Sorry. Woman issues?"

She nodded.

"Yeah. You mind?"

"Not at all. Go get some rest."

I went to the tower alone, and I lit a cigarette. I was tired, but I liked the night watch. It was calmed and silent and it cleared my mind. The hours went by quickly as I thought about that day. I bit my lip, smiling. Daryl acted so different at that lake… he was close to me, comfortable, and he had fun, just like me. I liked making Daryl laugh. He was always so serious, I liked see him laugh when we were alone, when he felt relaxed. In times like the ones we were living, feeling good was a blessing. And thanks to him, I had that blessing every day. What else could I do than try to make him feel good too?

"Knock, knock." A voice said from the door. I turned to look at Daryl.

"You're my replacement tonight?"

"Nah, I'm Maggie's. Andrea is yours."

I nodded.

"Good luck, Dixon."

He laughed and got closer.

"Ya liked the huntin' day?" He asked.

"Sure. It's been funny. And successful."

He made a face.

"Yeah, I guess. But, I wanted to tell ya, in that lake…"

I raised my eyebrows.

"What?"

He sighed.

"I lost the chance of doin' somethin'."

He came even closer to me, my body hit the banister. One of his arms surrounded my waist and his other hand caressed my face. He had a different look in his eyes. They looked warm and anxious at the same time. I swallowed. His face came closer and I closed my eyes when his lips got mine. He kissed me calmly and sweetly, our lips moving in slow motion. I opened my mouth to let his tongue in and the kiss went deeper, I surrounded his neck with my arms and he pressed me against him, my feet raised two inches from the floor as our mouths kept connected. My mind turned off, I just could feel; I felt his mouth, his breath, his body, his heart beating against my chest. His mouth moved against mine in a delicious rhythm, his lips were soft and wet, tasting of cigarettes. I sighed as the kiss kept going; it seemed that it was gonna last forever.

Daryl left me on the floor again, his lips moved away from mines and I just didn't want it to end. When we totally separated, I felt my lips swelled up, palpitating, missing his sweet touch. I sighed looking at his eyes, and I heard footsteps on the stairs, someone was coming. That was the reason he ended the kiss. He was breathing hardly, still embracing me. He let me go slowly, pulling apart my hair from my face.

"Hey there." Andrea said, coming to us. "You can go to sleep, Alicia."

I nodded, still looking at Daryl. He turned around and grabbed his crossbow of the floor. Andrea was looking at me confused.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I mumbled, blinking and making an effort to look at her. She raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Sure. Yeah."

I made my way to the stairs, giving a last look to Daryl. He was looking at the woods, breathing deeply.

"Good night." Andrea said.

"Night, Andrea."

She giggled as I got down the stairs.

"What's the matter with you guys?" She asked Daryl. "Are you stoned or something?"

Daryl didn't answer, but I made my way to the bed as if I really was high.


	7. Chapter 7: Impatience

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _**_Sorry, this took me more time than I thought. Anyway, here it is... Hope you like it!_

* * *

**CHAPTER VII: IMPATIENCE**

_"You have a beautiful body. Had anybody told you that before?" He said, smiling, passing his finger from my neck to the end of my back. "Silly me! Of course somebody told you that. Probably, a lot of men, am I right?"_

_I sighed. My body was shivering, I couldn't control it. I was covering my breasts with one arm and my genitals with the other hand. Governor was behind me, again in that fucking room. But this time, instead of being tied up, I was naked. And very, very more scared. _

_"Yes." _

_He laughed quietly._

_"Sure. With how many men have you slept?"_

_I took a deep breath._

_"I don't know."_

_"Too much to count them, isn't it?"_

_I nodded. What else could I do? I didn't know what this man was capable of, but I wouldn't put a little piece of my trust in him. For what I could imagine, he was capable of anything. _

_"That's good. Men got to enjoy this body. Can you open a little your legs, honey?"_

_A feel of fear ran through my spine._

"The hell ya're doin', woman?"

I woke up with a gasp, my heart beating fast. Daryl was staying up beside me, I was laying on the floor, on a towel with my shorts and my t-shirt pulled up, leaving my belly on sight.

"Jesus, Dixon." I mumbled. "I was asleep. Wanna provoke me a heart attack?"

He shook his head.

"What ya doin'?"

I smiled at his irritated face.

"Sunbathin'."

"Ya think this is the right place for that?"

I looked around. Everybody was doing their things, some of them looking at us dissimulating.

"Yeah. Why not?"

Daryl bended down.

"Everybody's looking at ya."

I laughed.

"They're looking at _us_, Daryl. Cause you woke me up."

He shook his head, getting closer.

"Nah, they're lookin' at yar body."

I smirked as I looked down. My abdomen had four ugly scars that were turning redder with the sunlight. My legs had some of them too, but I used to wear shorts anyway.

"Maybe they're looking at my scars. Most of them are women."

He bit his lip.

"Don't care."

I looked around to see Rick was there talking with Hershel. As he saw me, he directed me a quick nod. I saluted him with the hand.

"Are you jealous, Dixon? Or is it that you wanna be the only one seeing my body?"

He smirked, licking his lips.

"Wanna come with me to the backyard for a minute?"

I raised my eyebrows and I got up, following him to the desolated backyard, so ruiny and lonely. He pushed me against a wall and his mouth crashed into mine. Four days had passed since our first kiss and we had been hiding to make out since then. Actually, we found out that the prison was a really crowded place and we had no time to be alone without anyone seeing us. The thing was like this: we hided away where we could, we kissed, we kissed more, the kiss turned deeper, we began to touch each other, and when we got really horny, someone appeared and we separated quickly, faking that nothing was going on. Then we came back with the others, feeling frustrated. After four days it was starting to be annoying.

Our tongues were twisting against each other, his hands down my hips, touching me, grabbing me. I bit his lower lip softly and he moaned, letting me get to his neck. I kissed it and bit it and licked it, going up his jaw, as his hand grabbed my ass, making me gasp of surprise. I passed my teeth over his facial hair, feeling it tickling in my lips.

"God, woman, I dunno how much I'll stand this…"

I reached his mouth again, kissing him roughly.

"Can't we go hunting someday? Surprisingly, the floor of the forest seems a comfortable place…" I whispered against his mouth, and I raised my head as he pulled my hair, then he started passing his lips over my neck. I surrounded his waist with my arms, biting my lip.

Then, of course, we heard someone was coming closer. We moved away.

"Hey, you're here." Beth said to me. "Can you help me with the baby?"

I nodded.

"Sure, Beth."

I followed her, but before turning away, I looked back to Daryl and muttered:

"Get a cold shower, Dixon."

He chuckled and nodded, puffing. I needed one too, actually.

* * *

At the afternoon, after spending some time with the little Katie while her mother was on her guard time, I decided to go find Maggie and Carol who were washing dishes in the kitchen, near the cafeteria. We appreciated a lot the water, so for washing we used to go to a little pond near the prison and took a couple buckets.

When I got to the kitchen, the two women were laughing, amused. I smiled.

"What's the joke?" I said, putting up my sleeves and starting to help them.

"We were unleashing our imagination." Carol said.

"Oh yeah? About what?" I asked.

Maggie made a shy smile. I hit her with my hip, trying to push her to tell me.

"About my wedding with Glenn. We were thinking of how it would've been if everything was like it used to be"

I nodded. I understood. The girls like Maggie think about their wedding since they are kids. It was a crap that her wedding will be celebrated in a prison yard, with all her friends dirty and on guard and with walkers all around the fences. Yeah, definitely, you didn't imagine your wedding's soundtrack would be a chorus of groans and moans from a bunch on dead people. That's not what a little girl thinks about her great day.

"Knowing you like I know you by now…" Maggie said, looking at me with her eyebrows raised. "I guess you think that getting married is stupid and useless. That we got most important thinks to do. Trying to rebuild the other part of the prison, going to find supplies, try to find the Governor…"

I shook my head, denying. I looked at her with a half smile.

"You're wrong, Maggie." I said. "I think it's beautiful that you've found someone like Glenn. That you've found your man. And it's good that you take a day to celebrate it. And I'll be happy to be there, if I can, and if you want."

Maggie and Carol were looking at me surprised.

"Wow. Thanks." Maggie said, giving me a quick (and a wet) hug.

"I never thought that you think like that, Ali." Carol said.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"In this days we better celebrate the good things, take our time to appreciate them. We don't know how much it's gonna last, so…"

They sighed, knowing that my words were true. I smiled.

"You know, when you told me you were unleashing your imagination, I didn't think about this." I said. Carol giggled.

"What did you think of?" She said.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I thought you've may be talking like 'I wish I was in a bed with Johnny Depp' or something like that." I said, chuckling, and wondering if the man would still alive. I hoped so, what a waste if he didn't. Maggie laughed.

"Oh no. But now you mention it, I wish I was in a desert island, with white sand and clear water, in my bikini's, sunbathing, eating strawberries…" She said with a sigh. I laughed.

"And Glenn?"

She smiled at me.

"He can be there too, if he wants to."

The three of us laughed out loud, like a group of friends hanging out.

"Then, I would like to be in a white and clean mansion, with a fancy dress and a really cold drink in my hand… something with vodka…" Carol said. "My imagination sucks, I know."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh my God, am I the only one that would wish to be with a naked man? Good Lord, ladies…" I said, drying a plate.

Maggie and Carol laughed.

"And which man would you choose?" Maggie asked.

I tried to contain a smile, but I couldn't. God, I knew with who I would like to be. Carol, seeing I wasn't answering, hit me softly with her elbow.

"Does it begins with 'D' and ends with 'aryl'?" She said. I laughed, surprised and a little embarrassed.

"Carol!" I said. "God, is that obvious?"

Maggie laughed.

"Yeah, is really obvious. Then Carol is right?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I just wish we could have some time alone. And a bed. A comfy bed with white and clean sheets…" I sighed, imagining Daryl in that situation. Oh, my. The silky sheets around our bodies, silence surrounding us, only cut by the sound of our breaths… They laughed again.

"Maybe you should tell Daryl about your wishes." Carol said. I giggled.

"Trust me, he knows."

They both raised their eyebrows.

"You mean you two…" Maggie said. Her face was so funny I just burst into laughs.

"Oh Maggie… No, we haven't had sex… Yet."

"But there's something between you, right?" Carol asked. I nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. "Have you kissed him?"

I couldn't believe how gossips they were. We were finishing of washing dishes, and I was drying the last glass as I thought what to say. Hell, it wasn't a secret, and sooner or later somebody would see us. I took a long breath and then I nodded. The two women gasped, drying their hands and coming closer to me.

"Really?" Maggie said. "When?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Some days ago. The first kiss was in the guard tower, after our last hunting day."

"The first? That means you've kissed more times?" Maggie asked. I looked at her as if she had gone crazy.

"Sure, Maggie. Don't be faking you're innocent with me, I know 'bout your first kiss with Glenn, and what happened later…" Maggie blushed and hit me with a rag. I laughed, sticking out my tongue to her.

"Glenn told you?"

I shook my head.

"I won't say a word, but it wasn't Glenn." Actually it was Carol, but I wouldn't betray her.

"Never mind. So you and Daryl…" Carol said. I smiled.

"Dunno. We're exploring each other. We'll see how it goes."

Maggie nodded.

"Wow. Daryl…"

I raised an eyebrow at her face.

"What?"

"I don't know… he is always so closed, so rough, that I can't really imagine him…"

She bit her lip. I could see curiosity was killing her.

"Oh, God, Maggie, shoot."

She giggled.

"Is he a good kisser?"

I rolled my eyes.

"He's the _best _kisser." I said. The three of us started laughing like high school girls. It was almost ridiculous, but we just couldn't stop.

"Woman, ya wanna… oh." Daryl said from the door, stopping when he saw the three hyenas we had become with a confused face. "What happened?"

I shook my hand, indicating him he should better stay without knowing it.

"Oh, Daryl…" I laughed, trying to calm myself.

"Who's the one that can't stop laughin' now, huh? May I know the reason?"

I came closer to him, getting off the kitchen and waving goodbye to Maggie and Carol before closing the door.

"You wouldn't understand. It's girl's stuff"

He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"Why were you looking for me?"

He raised his crossbow.

"I thought maybe ya wanted to know how to use this. Maybe ya're better with it than with the bow."

I opened my eyes widely, staring at his crossbow. Wow. Daryl Dixon would let me shoot his crossbow.

"I thought I couldn't touch it." He smiled.

"Now you can."

I smiled.

"I told you."

"Huh?"

"I told you someday you'll teach me. I didn't think it was gonna be this soon, but I told you."

He smiled and looked around us. We were alone in the cafeteria. He came closer and pulled a strand of my hair behind my ear. Then he gave me a short, sweet kiss. I bit my lip when we separated. I loved when he was that sweet, when we felt the intimacy between us.

"I know ya told me. Wanna come?"

I nodded, excited.

"Sure! I wanna know if it's as difficult as it seems or if you just chose the easiest weapon."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"In yar hands, all weapons are difficult, so…"

I hit him softly in the arm.

"Ouch…"

"You deserve it! The problem isn't from the learner, it's from the teacher."

He denied with his head.

"Trust me, with yar aim, the fault is yours." He said chuckling. I puffed.

"I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't stop mocking on me, Dixon." I said, surrounding his hips with my arm as we walked. He surrounded my shoulders with his arm as he laughed.

"Easy, woman. Ya're gonna learn how to shoot." I nodded, smiling. But then he added: "Someday."

"Dixon, you're lucky to be damn handsome, if you weren't your nose would be bleeding by now." He laughed.

"Ya'd punch me?"

I nodded, but I was smiling. I liked the way the relationship was evolving. Now we were absolutely comfortable with each other, and we weren't afraid to say something wrong or to mess things up. I could notice it on him. He looked so… happy. He was always joking and mocking on me. I liked it. It's not that he had stopped being the thoughtful and kind of rough man he was. It's just the he felt more confident about me and what I wanted.

We got to the back yard and he made me face the dartboard. I bit my lip when he put the crossbow in my hands, with the arrow ready.

"I'll show ya how to load the crossbow another day. Now ya gotta shoot." He said as I raised the crossbow.

He guided me with his hands. One of his hands was in the lower part of my back, giving me balance, and the other was surrounding my hand, guiding my fingers to the trigger. I breathed deeply. His breath was hitting my neck, and the smell of cigarettes and sweat was driving me crazy. I knew that his smell should've stunk instead of being so terrifically attractive, but it just blurred my mind. It was Daryl. His hot body pressed against mine, as he directed me. I could felt his abdominals against my back, his chest, his strong arms surrounding me… a drop of sweat rolled down my forehead as I was starting to get hot. I looked at the bull's eye, and pressed the trigger.

The arrow hit three inches from the central point, but it wasn't as bad as I expected. Daryl chuckled, his body still against mine.

"Not bad, woman." He said. I sighed.

"You think I can concentrate?" I said, turning my head a little to look at him. He was looking at me, his blue eyes shining warmly. He raised his eyebrows.

"Why can't ya?"

I let go the crossbow with one of my hands, caressing deliberately slowly his arm till his shoulder. He looked at me without blinking, but I noticed his skin was reacting at my touch, his arm's hairs rising up.

"Cause I can't think 'bout arrows when you're this close to me." I turned around completely, facing him, pressing my body against his. He received my mouth with a low moan, holding me against him tightly. Our bodies were palpitating at the same time, reaching for more contact, thought it wasn't possible. I groaned as I let my hands go down, putting them beneath his shirt, touching his stomach. I sighed at his hard, sweaty, warm touch; I was really thinking about tear his clothes off. I pressed harder against him and he sighed against my lips.

"Woman, stop…" He said, though it didn't seem he really wanted me to stop. My hand made the way down to his zipper, but he grabbed my wrist gently. "Not here…"

I kissed him again, hungrily. I wanted him, and I wanted him now. I surrounded his neck with my arms, grabbing his hair, pulling him closer. He smiled against my lips.

"Ya can't help yourself, huh?"

I smirked.

"No, Daryl, I can't. I want it. I want _you_." He grunted at my words, grabbing my thighs and pushing me against the wall. I was breathing fast, my skin was burning.

A couple of voices brought us back to the Earth.

"I saw them coming this way." Glenn said as he came closer.

"They may be training… or not." Rick said, as he turned the corner and found us.

Though we had separated when we heard the voices, we were breathing hard, our faces inches apart, and his hands on my waist, my fingers grabbing his shirt with closed fists. Daryl was the first one to react, turning away from me, and all my body complained as he got further. I looked at the embarrassed and surprised men that were looking at us; Daryl was giving them his back. I could imagine why as he breathed slowly in and out.

"Uh… Well…" Rick said, scratching his neck, uncomfortable.

"Speak out, Sheriff." I said, sitting on the floor.

"We were looking for you." Glenn said, his face was red. I chuckled.

"For what? Some kid had scratched his knees? Or Judith is crying?" I said harshly. Rick sighed.

"No, actually, we are starting to need some supplies. Food, antibiotics, clothes… you know, all that stuff…" Rick said. Daryl turned around, looking at me for a moment and then looking at Rick.

"We thought maybe you two would like to go." Glenn said. "When you go hunting the result is great, and…"

"We'll go." Daryl said, nodding. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. I nodded too.

"Sure. If you need us to go…" I said, getting up from the floor. Rick and Glenn smiled. It was the perfect occasion; we'll be alone, far from the prison, in a car… maybe we could found some safe house with a big bedroom… I smiled.

"Great. Do you want anyone else to come with you?" Rick asked. "Michonne and Andrea offered themselves…"

I shook my head, denying.

"Actually, we'll go faster if we go alone." I said.

"Yeah, we know how to act together; we'll do better on our own."

The two men nodded.

"Ok. I'll give you a map. There are some stores we hadn't explored yet."

We nodded and followed Rick and Glenn inside the prison, to make a trail we can follow. I looked at Daryl by the eye's corner and whispered:

"Are you thinking the same I'm thinking?" He smiled, looking at me with his blue eyes on fire.

"Hell yeah."


	8. Chapter 8: Explosion

_**Author's Note:**__Sorry for the delay with this chapter, but I've been through a quite complicated situation lately... But here it is! I have to advise you that THIS chapter is the main reason for the rating M... You can imagine why, can't you? ;)_

**_AN2:_**_ I got a review that made me notice that there's something I haven't told you yet... I'm sorry if the grammar or some expressions are wrong, but English isn't my language... is just the I thought that this would like more people if I wrote it in English (actually, when I read a fanfic I read it in English, so...). Sorry for the mistakes, I think I'll get better with every chapter! Thanks to all of you for following, and for reviewing... I LOVE reviews, they encourage me!_

* * *

**CHAPTER VIII: EXPLOSION**

Daryl and I were getting ready for our trip. Everybody had given us a list with different things they wanted, and I was reading it out loud as Daryl prepared our bags. Katie was sitting on my lap, playing with a strand of my black hair.

"Shampoo, soap, razors…" I was reading. Hell, everybody demanded the same. "Oh my God, someone is asking for condoms." Daryl chuckled.

"Safe sex even when the world's gone to shit, huh?" He said. I laughed.

"We have careful people among us." I said, looking at another list. "Dummies, baby's clothes… this may be Rick's…"

"Or that girl, the one ya helped in her labor."

I nodded.

"Oh, yeah, Ellen… sure, Jeremy needs boy's clothes… a cot?" I read. "God, how will we bring her a fucking cot?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

"We can pick a little one, in a box. It'll fit in the backside of ma truck."

I raised my head to look at him, my mouth wide open.

"We're not going on your bike?" I said, disappointed. He smiled.

"We can't carry all this stuff in the bike. The truck is better; we can carry anything in there."

I pouted, putting my lower lip in front of the other. He looked at me.

"Don't do that." He said.

"What?"

"That thing with yar mouth."

"Why?"

"It makes me nervous."

I smiled.

"I was hopping a ride in your bike."

He shook his head.

"Not today."

I looked at Katie, pouting again.

"_Dar_ don't wanna take me for a ride, Katie."

The brunette little girl raised her big brown eyes at me, as she grabbed strongly the strand of my hair she was trying to plait. She looked at my sad face and then she looked at Daryl, I smirked as she said, with a loud and high voice:

"Dar, you should take Ali for a ride. She'll be sad if you don't."

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I will, girlie, but not today."

"And when?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, when?" I said. I was having real fun seeing Daryl so troubled, trying to talk with the little girl.

"Dunno. Next week."

Katie narrowed her eyes.

"Promise?" She said, raising her little finger. Daryl rolled his eyes again.

"Promise." He said linking his little finger with hers. I giggled. It was a funny scene, to see Daryl making a little-finger-promise to a three-year-old girl. Katie smiled.

"It's ok, Ali." She said to me. "He will ride you next week."

I laughed at her words.

"Oh, thanks Katie. You're a great dealer."

She nodded, satisfied. Daryl sighed.

"Ok, let's go." He said.

We got up and walked to the principal building, with Katie behind us.

"That wasn't fair play." Daryl whispered. I smiled.

"You promised."

He denied with his head.

"Yeah, with ma finger. That wasn't a real promise."

I made a sad face.

"That means you're not getting me for a ride?"

He shrugged his shoulders, but he didn't answer, because we got where Rick and the rest were.

"Do you have everything?" Rick asked. We nodded.

"Yup." I said.

Rick gave us a couple of guns, and I looked at them raising my eyebrows.

"I don't need a gun." I said. "I'm bringing my own weapons. It's all I need to kill walkers."

"You'll need one if you find a human." Maggie said. I rolled my eyes.

"I would like to find Governor out there. I bet he had run away to Canada."

Maggie and Glenn denied with their heads.

"He is dangerous, Alicia." Glenn said. I chewed my lower lip.

"I know, Glenn."

"No, you don't." Maggie said. "You don't know what he is capable of."

I was starting to get angry. I knew perfectly what Governor could do.

"Maggie, don't try to tell me what I know or what I don't."

"But what he did to Maggie…" Glenn said.

"Glenn, shut up." Maggie said. I rolled my eyes.

"What he did to you? I know what he did to you." I said. Merle told me. Maggie got pale.

"Then you know the…" Glenn started, but I interrupted him. I could feel how my blood was boiling. Who were they to aware me about Governor? They didn't know anything. They were nobody to say anything about that fucker to me.

"Yeah, I know, Glenn. Stop fucking me up, ok? I know it better than you." I said, I felt my veins palpitating in my neck as I tried to contain myself. "Let's go, Dixon." I said, turning around and getting off the prison.

* * *

We were in the truck, in silence. Maggie and Glenn just bothered me, and I was looking through the window as I bit the flesh inside my cheeks. Fuck! I was alone with Daryl, absolutely alone, and I couldn't enjoy it because I was too mad to. I looked him by the eye's corner. He was looking at the road, grabbing the steering wheel with one hand, resting the other arm in the open car's window; his eyes narrowed because the afternoon's sunlight. He looked at me; I looked to other side, avoiding his eyes.

"Ya ok?" He said with his worriless country voice.

"Yup."

He looked at me raising an eyebrow.

"Ya mad."

I grimaced.

"What did the Governor to ya?"

I looked him with my best exasperation face.

"Why you wanna know?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Just wanna know."

I looked right in front of me. The road was spreading in front of us.

"Don't wanna talk 'bout it."

He giggled.

"That's what I said when ya asked me 'bout Merle's death. Know what ya told me?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Told me I didn't wanna talk 'bout it, but I needed to."

I kept in silence, surprised by my words remained in his memory that clear. I thought about it a couple of minutes, while he waited patiently. Then I sighed and started talking.

"You know I told ya Merle and I were friends?" He said yes with his head. "Well, it was more than that."

He wrinkled his nose, pressed his lips.

"You two fucked together?"

Damn! Rough Daryl was here.

"No, God!" I said, laughing. "Merle wasn't my type."

He looked more comfortable. Was he jealous? Of Merle?

"Not yar type?"

"Respectfully, don't like assholes."

He laughed; that laugh I liked so much. The best sound in the world.

"Dunno what ya're doin' in this car, then."

I smiled and get comfy on my side, looking at him.

"You're not an asshole. Just… it's quite difficult to know ya, but no one that do know you would say you're an asshole. Maybe a little idiot." He laughed. "But I like idiots."

He looked at me, biting his lip.

"Someone told me Merle protected you. He stood for ya when you tried to run away."

"That's right." I said. "Governor said he was gonna take my teeth off, Merle stand up for me. He said he bet his life I wasn't gonna try it again. And I hadn't, didn't want him to get killed because of me. But the night he left, the night they made you fight each other, I lost my bodyguard. I thought it made no sense to stay in there, so I tried to escape again. I was thirty feet away of the wall when an arrow hit my back. They caught me and locked me up in a dirty and bloody room, they tied my hands." Daryl was looking to the road. "Governor wanted to fright me."

"Tell me what he did to you." He whispered.

"It's not a nice story." I warned him.

"I don't care"

I sighed.

"Governor just enjoyed feeling powerful, and when you know you have no escape, you feel so defenseless… He made me take my clothes off and he said things to make me feel…" I looked for the right word. "Frightened. He touched me, but that's the furthest he got. I made him believe I was receptive to his intentions, and when he put his guard down, I attacked. I dug my fingers in his injured eye, and, as he screamed, I grabbed his hair and hit his head against the table. I thought I would die anyway, but I rather die without being raped. I thought I killed him, but I didn't. I thought his soldiers would kill me, but someone helped me. His name was Milton. I hide away in a cellar of an empty house with his help until Governor's left town and you and your group came to Woodbury. That's why you found me there. I passed three days in there."

Daryl had listened to my story in silence.

The car stopped. I looked in front of me and I saw we just got to the shop. All around there were like ten walkers, more or less. I smiled.

"Look how many lil' dead dicks! There are enough for the two of us!"

Daryl was looking at me. His nose's holes were dilated. I looked at him puzzled. He raised his arm and put his hand in my neck, his thumb in my cheek.

"One day we'll find that motherfucker." he said. "And I swear to you that when I have my knife in his throat, just before cut it up, I'll let him know he dies 'cause he put his hands on ya, woman."

My heart palpitated as fast as it could and my eyes were stinging me. Was it weird that that seemed beautiful to me? Daryl was breathing fast and he hugged me tight against his chest when the first tear rolled down my face. I take a deep breath of his aroma of sweat, cigarettes and Daryl, and I put my hands over his chest to separate a bit from him, or I'll cry more. I shook my head, with my hand in his chest, his heart beating fast. I looked at his face and smiled to him, to show him I was all right. He smiled me back.

"Now get your axes and let's send those fuckers to the grave they never must have gone away of." He said, giving me a quick kiss.

We got off the car and I got my axes off their covers, each one in each hand. Ah, felt so good to handle them. The first walker that got close to me received an axe hit in its forehead and fell to the floor. Next one got the head off the rest of the body, and the one after that got parted in two pieces. I looked at Daryl by the corner of the eye, he was stabbing a Walker in the eye, but other one was going to get him at his back. I threw one of my axes away, sticking it in a walker's temple, and Daryl turned away, looked at the dead Walker and then looked to me and shot an arrow at my direction. It hit in the forehead of a Walker right behind me.

"Thanks." I said.

"Welcome." He said, and shot another arrow, killing a zombie with a doctor's white coat.

Three minutes later, or less, they were all down. Daryl got back his arrows and I got my axe, and we ran into the shop. I listened Daryl's laugh and, once we were inside, I turned to him.

"That was awesome as fuck!" He said, and I laughed.

"We are quick as hell, man!"

"Seein' ya killin' them, and I was… ya… were so…" he put his hands on my arms, grabbing me. "Hot."

"What?" I said, surprised.

"Yar body. Ya're so warm." I put my hands on his neck.

"You're too. It's adrenaline. Your body just…"

He got me closer to him.

"Explodes." He ended. His breath was hitting my face; his eyes were looking at my lips.

Then we heard a sound.

We both turned away, me with a ready axe, Daryl, raising his crossbow. But they were no walkers. A man, a woman with a baby and a little four-year-old girl were looking at us, the man raised his hands showing their surrender.

"We… we came for some food." The woman said. "But we couldn't get out…"

"What you've just done…" The man said.

"Get outta here." Daryl said.

"We're looking for survivors, someone we can stay with."

"Not us." I said. "We're part of other group."

"Please, we just can't keep travelling… my daughters…"

I looked at Daryl. That little girl thing tendered me. They couldn't be dangerous. They were just scared people. He looked at me and he knew what I was thinking.

"Got no weapons?"

The man denied with his head.

"No more ways out of the shop?"

"No."

"It's empty? No Walkers?"

The parents denied.

Daryl looked at me. I raised my eyebrows. He sighed.

"We live in a prison, like sixty miles away, to the west. We're forty, maybe more."

I saw the surprise and the joy in the stranger's faces.

"There are other kids" I said to the little girl, she smiled. "And babies too." I said to the mother.

"Thanks, thank you so much."

They went to the door.

"Tell them we told ya where the prison was. I'm Daryl, she's Alicia."

They thanked us a last time and went away. The man was the last one.

"Hey." I said, he turned. "Don't fuck with us. You've seen what we can do."

"Got a lot to lose, don't ya?" Daryl said.

"Just want to find a place where my family can be safe."

"Go then."

And he went. Daryl put the shop's blind down, so nothing could get in.

He looked at me, with his worried face.

"Don't know if we've done well."

I smiled.

"Yes we have. They have two baby girls… what a shit carrying a four-year-old girl with you. It's almost more difficult than a baby."

"She'll just know this shitty life until she died devoured."

Rough Daryl again. I looked at him, pouting. He inclined his head, coming closer to me.

"Told ya don't do that lips thing you're doin'."

I smiled.

"Actually, you told me it makes you nervous." I said, standing still until he got to me, our bodies were almost touching.

"Yeah, it does."

"Why?"

He doubted a moment; his eyes went by all around my face.

"'Cause it makes me think 'bout your mouth."

My heart stopped a second, just for restart its beatings fast as it could.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"What ya think?"

I looked him at the eyes, those blue eyes, and then I looked at his mouth, so well defined, so tempting, that mole just beside it, and I knew that day was the day.

I did "that lips thing" again, containing a smile. Daryl took a breath and he put his hands on my waist; I surrounded his neck with my arms. He got his face closer to mine and I raised it, touching his nose with mine and I smiled to him. He smiled me back and I felt how he was grabbing my t-shirt. His mouth crashed into mine strongly, with hunger. Our tongues got twisted, with a cigarette and sweat taste. It was delicious. His lips were soft, smooth and wet, and they kissed me with desire.

Daryl pushed me with his body until I crashed into something hard against my ass, the counter of the shop. He got me up and I sit in it, I opened my legs and attracted him to me, closing them around him. Everything without separating our mouths.

I felt he was touching the lower part of my t-shirt and he began pulling it up, so I separate from him and raised my arms; he pulled my t-shirt off and threw it away. We kissed again. I grabbed his shirt and I opened it with violence, the buttons jumped everywhere and Daryl laughed against my mouth. He pulled my bra down and he licked my breasts anxiously, biting gently my nipple. Everything was fast, was wild. He grabbed my shorts while I took off my bra, and he pulled, taking my panties as well. I stood naked, unless the mountain boots.

I unbuttoned his jeans and he took them off, without stopping looking at me. He stared at me with a glint of lust in his eyes, he stared my body from top to bottom, and I was exposed to him, as I watched how he took his clothes off, standing with the leather boots, setting free his great hard member. I surrounded him with my arms and we kissed again, but this time the touch of our bodies was different, skin to skin, and I felt how all my body was palpitating. Daryl was grabbing my thighs and slowly he passed his hand between my legs and touched my core. I arched my back and moved my hips, searching more contact. He moved his fingers on my clit, multiplying my lubrication.

"Damn, you're wet, woman." He whispered.

I was moaning, helpless at the expert touch of his fingers.

I put my hand down until I reached his hard length and I moved it up and down, slowly but firmly. He moaned, separating his mouth from mine, looking at me.

"Ya ready?" I smiled him and let it go, grabbing his shoulders. God, I couldn't be more ready. "Ya dirty lil' woman…"

He got inside me with a quick hammer that made me scream, as far as he could get, very, very inside of my body, and he stood there a few seconds. We looked at each other, I moaned and we kissed, this time slower, more careful, enjoying with him inside of me. He started to get out, slowly, and then he hammered me again, I groaned and he started to move with his own perfect and delightful rhythm. Fast, wild, while our tongues were twisting. It was pleasant and passionate. It was hard and rough.

Daryl pushed me until I lay down on the counter, he on top of me, without getting off me for a second, and he keep going, kissing my neck and my chin.

"Oh… Daryl…" I moaned, non capable to say anything else.

"Ya're so warm, baby, so fuckin'… Mmmm…"

Don't know how much time we remained like that, kissing each other completely intertwined. I felt heat in my neck and that tickle in my legs I almost forgot. I dug my nails into Daryl's back.

"Cum for me… woman…" he moaned, and I let myself go in a violent orgasm, we both screamed, and then he came with a delicious spasm and fell down on me.

We both were breathless and our bodies were burning and shining with sweat. It had been explosive. We had burst; we just couldn't help ourselves anymore. His head was resting between my two breasts. I let fall a hand from his back, and he caught it and kissed it tenderly. I passed my other hand by his brown hair. _God, I adore this man, _I thought. And now that I knew he was also a genuine sex specialist, I didn't know if I could keep myself away from him.

"Your heart beats so fast." Daryl said when he recovered his breath.

I laughed; my chest went up and down with my laughter, moving his head.

"What did you expect? It has been like running in a marathon."

Daryl raised his head for look at me, his chin resting on my chest. I looked at him. He had that shiny eyes and a big smile, a satisfaction face. Probably just as mine.

"It's been funnier than a marathon."

I laughed again.

"Oh, yeah. That's for sure."

He stared at me, smiling.

"I adore hearing ya laughing."

I caressed his hair softly, he closed his eyes and a sigh went out his lips. He liked it.

"I adore _you_." I whispered.

He opened his eyes and stared me intensely. He slighted out of me, I gasped and he twitched at the sensation. He raised his face to mine and kissed me. He didn't kiss me with hunger, like before, because now we were satiated. He kissed me with sweetness, delicately, his gentle lips over mine. I surrounded him with my arms and sighed as we kissed.

We separated smiling and he caressed my forehead with his fingertips, staring at me.

"I don't wanna perturb the moment." I said. "But I need to get up."

It was true. My back was killing me laying in that hard counter. He separated from me with calm and I get up, stretching my back. He was looking at me.

I searched for my shorts, naked, and registered them until I found my pack of cigarettes. He got up too, just to sit down on the floor, his naked back against the counter. I offered him a cigarette, he took it gladly. Tasted sooooo good.

"Come here." He said, taking me by the hand and pulling me down, sitting me between his open legs. I stood against his chest as we smoked.

"How long we've been here?" I asked, I had lost completely the notion of time.

"Couple of hours." He said. "Since we got here and killed the Walkers."

"Shouldn't we hurry up?"

Daryl sighed.

"Nah. Don't mind."

He was right. In this life there weren't much moments like these ones and it was worth to enjoy them. Absolutely calmed, safe, relaxed moments. Satisfaction. I smiled.

"How long you've been without sex?" I asked, turning up my head so I could see his face. He gasped.

"Well… Dunno. Couple of years, more or less."

Oh, god. Well, that meant he hadn't slept with anyone since the dead raised.

"As me." I said. "Too much."

He laughed; I felt his chest vibrating under my body.

"The wait worth it."

I smiled.

"I agree." I bit my lip. "And since when did you wanna do _this_ with me?"

He laughed; I felt the vibrations on my body. He surrounded my waist with one arm and he rested his chin in my shoulder. I turned my head a little, so I could see his face. God, he was gorgeous. I took a long drag.

"Since the first time I saw ya, actually. But I wanted it badly since the first day we went huntin'."

I raised my eyebrows. I wasn't expecting that.

"Really? Why? I sucked at it, it wasn't sexy at all."

Daryl laughed.

"It seemed sexy to me. Every time a strand of your hair fell on your face, I thought about takin' it and puttin' it apart, beside your ear" he touched my ear with his nose, softly and I got goose pimples all over my body. I purred. "And kissin' ya, havin' ya there, against a tree."

I laughed.

"God, sounds funny." I said. "I couldn't imagine you were thinking about that that day."

"I was. In fact, it was hard to think 'bout anythin' else. I wanted to hear ya moan my name, and puttin' my hands all over your body…"

He caressed my belly with his fingertips, and kissed the skin below my ear. I was in paradise. I didn't know someone could feel that good.

"And have you liked it? Hearing me, touching me? Was it as you imagined?"

"It's been better." He said. "Comparing to this, my imagination sucks."

"Oh yeah, the same here…" I sighed, closing my eyes, feeling his caress and kisses.

He chuckled.

"Ya fantasized 'bout me?"

I giggled.

"Fuck, yeah. Lots of times."

"Really? When was the first time?"

"Mmmm…" I thought about it. "I guess it was the same day, the first huntin' day. But when we came back."

"Why?"

"Well, we went to have a shower, and then I watched you go out, shirtless, washing your dirty clothes. And that day when we had a bath in the lake… God, you looked so sexy."

He laughed.

"Ya silly woman…" he said, kissing my neck slowly, sweetly.

"Oh, my…" I moaned. "If you don't stop doing that we'll be soon in round 2…"

He laughed.

"We can't. Its better that we leave 'fore it gets dark. But if ya keep purrin' I don't know if I would help myself…"

"Then stop doing this to me…" I cried. "It's like a torture. A really, really good torture."

He sighed.

"I guess it's time to shop."

I grimace and complained, turning my body around, facing him. He smiled to me and surrounded my neck with his arms.

"God, woman… how can ya be like _this_?" He said, looking at my face, then at my body, then back at my face.

"Like what?"

"This beautiful."

I smiled and then I kissed him. God, I could spend all day kissing him.

"C'mon. Up." He said and he got up, I stayed on the floor, on my knees. I had an awesome view from that position. I looked at him, trying to look naughty. He laughed and stretched a hand to me. I took it and got up, feeling a little rejected. I started to dress, he did the same, but he couldn't button his shirt, all the buttons were scattered around the floor.

"Oh, fuck." He said, but he smiled to me.

He came closer and embraced me from my back, kissing the nape of my neck.

"I wish we could stay here, but it'll be dangerous. Ya understand?"

I sighed.

"I do." I said, turning to face him and holding him too. "It's just that I don't have your willpower. I'm weak." I said, pouting. He gasped and kissed me as I laughed.


	9. Chapter 9: Fear isn't always a bad thing

**CHAPTER IX: FEAR ISN'T ALWAYS A BAD THING**

I took almost anything I saw on the shelves of hygiene. Daryl was in other corridor, getting food. I felt like I was floating on the air; all my body felt like it was gelatin. My arms and my legs were absolutely relaxed, and I only wanted to make it again or to go to sleep. I sighed peacefully as I took all the tampons on the shelf. I heard Daryl chuckling. He was looking at me from the other corridor, through the empty shelf. He was smiling, with a cigarette in his mouth.

"I guess ya're not angry anymore." He said, half smiling. I frowned.

"Have I ever been angry?" I said, smiling at him. He laughed.

"Yeah. When we were coming here, ya spent half of the trip quiet."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Let's say you know how to calm me down…"

He nodded.

"Ok. Now I know what to do every time ya argue with Andrea or whoever…"

I laughed, taking a pile of alcohol bottles.

"Then we'll have daily sex. That would be awesome, Dixon."

"And with yar temperament, maybe twice a day."

We both laughed.

"God, that would be great." I said. "A really good birthday present."

Daryl stopped walking and stared at me from between the shelves.

"Birthday? When's yar birthday?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Saturday."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Today's Monday."

I nodded.

"Yeah, Dixon. You're so smart."

"What ya want?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"For yar birthday. A present." He scratched the back of his neck. I smiled.

"You don't have to give me a present, Daryl. World's ended, remember?" I said, turning the corner to the corridor he was in, facing him. For that moment, we had emptied the shop. We had three full trolleys of food, medication and other stuff. Anyway, there was a Pharmacy in front of the shop, so we had planed to go there too. It was being a really good shopping day.

"Yeah, world's ended, but we're not dead. Ya'll be twenty-two. I'm sure ya want somethin'."

I sighed and got closer to him, surrounding his neck with my arms. He embraced my waist.

"Had anybody told you how sweet you are?" I said, looking at his unbelievable bright blue eyes. He puffed and rolled his eyes.

"What ya want?" He repeated.

"Anything?" I said, raising an eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes.

"If I can get it, yeah."

I smiled widely.

"I want a ride with you in your bike."

He rolled his eyes again.

"Actually, it's Merle's bike."

I nodded.

"Then, I want a ride with you in Merle's bike."

He smiled and kissed me slowly, his lips moved against mines with sweetness. When he moved slowly away, our lips kept stuck like if they didn't want to separate. I sighed when the kiss ended and he gave me one more quick kiss before say:

"Bike ride on Saturday. Sounds good?"

I giggled.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

Daryl put up the blind slowly, trying to be silent. He looked up and down the street and gave me a nod, indicating the street was secure.

We got out with the trolleys and I started carrying everything on the backside of the truck, meanwhile, Daryl went to the Pharmacy. I kept my guard on all the time. I looked everywhere every few seconds, just to find a lonely street. There was a toy shop, a couple of bars, a fashion store, and a wedding dresses shop. I raised my eyebrows. Outside the shop, in the floor, I could see like four or five catalogues of dresses. I bit my lip. I grabbed my axes and went to the shop, bending down. Yeah, there were catalogues from the shop, with pictures of all the dresses. Maybe I could take one to Maggie, she could pick one of them, and I could come back here someday and look for the one she'll choose. I looked inside the shop, putting my hand on my forehead, trying to look through the dirty glass. The shop was quiet and tied. It seems to be just like the owners left it.

"Alicia."

I jumped, and almost screamed.

"Sweet Jesus, Dixon…" I said, catching my breath.

"Sorry. Just…" He looked at the catalogue in my hand. "What ya doin'?"

"It's for Maggie. I thought…"

"Aren't ya angry with her?" He asked, frowning. I shrugged.

"She's my friend."

He nodded.

"Ok. Wanna take anythin' else?"

"We should get winter clothes. And we gotta look for a cot."

He nodded.

"Hell, ya're right."

"There's a toy shop right there." I said, pointing at it. He nodded.

In our way to the toy shop, I left the catalogue in the truck. I smiled. Maybe it was silly, maybe Maggie would think that I was reminding her what she couldn't have… but maybe she will be happy to know she can have a dress if she wants to. That I was willing to get her one.

The windows of the toy shop were broken. Daryl and I exchanged a glance of understanding. We got in slowly, and we heard the moans almost instantaneously. We walked slowly bended down, trying to find a good place to visualize the shop and the walkers that were in. We looked through one shelf. I counted eight walkers. They were just standing there, looking at the floor, waiting for one noise to freak out and try to eat us. Daryl motioned me to keep walking bended down, slowly.

"How will we carry the cot?" I mouthed.

He pointed me. I opened my eyes widely.

"Me?"

He nodded. I pointed at him. "And you?"

He pointed at the walkers. I denied with my head, but he started to move, so I followed him, pressing my teeth. It wasn't a good idea. No, it was a terrible idea. I didn't want him to stay entertaining the walkers. Just the idea sent a rush of fear through my spine.

The corridor where the cots were was empty. We got up and picked the first one we found and we bended down again, starting to walk, each grabbing one extreme of the box. When we gave three steps, I knew I couldn't make it that way.

"Daryl..." I tried to whisper, but before I could say anything, the box slipped off my hands. The noise of the box hitting the floor sounded like a bomb in the silent shop. Daryl and I looked at each other, knowing what will happen next, knowing that they had heard it. Then we heard the steps coming to us.

"Go, go!" Daryl said, and I ran away bringing the cot with me, passing through the walkers pushing them away. They tried to grab me and bite me as I ran among them, looking at me with longing, with hunger. I was sure they hadn't seen anything to eat in a long time. Generally, the smell of putrid flesh that was coming out of those walking corpses brought to my mouth the taste of bile, but right now, I was so focused on getting off the shop, leaving the fucking cot in the truck and coming back to help Daryl before anyone of those carcasses could hurt him, that I practically couldn't smell them.

"_Shit, fuck, SHIT!_" I thought as I got off the shop, but I didn't left the groans behind. Instead of keep walking to Daryl, they were following me. Now there were more; twenty zombies were trying to get me, walking to me with clumsy steps, crawling their feet. I was near the truck when I felt something pulling my head back; a walker had grabbed my hair and it made me scream of surprise and pain. I turned around to face a walker with his rotten flesh practically disappeared from its face, the bones showing dark and corrupt. It was opening and closing its mouth, its teeth crashing, with hunger in its empty eyes, eager to bite me, the saliva dropping from its barely existent commeasures. I was going to place the cot's box under my armpit to be able to grab the knife I was wearing in my belt when the point of an arrow appeared in one of the walker's eyes, splashing my face with its coagulated blood. It fell to the floor, this time absolutely dead. I gave Daryl a thankful nod as I watched him loading his crossbow again. I turned around to the truck, but I crashed into something; a small walker was on the floor, it had fallen when I crashed into it. It had been a little girl, long time ago; now it was a walking body, with the need of ripping the flesh out of my body. It was getting up stretching its arms to me, its little hands trying to grab me like if it had claws. I hit its head with the box; the walker fell away as I took off my knife. I kneeled and quickly stabbed its head, its mouth wide open till the last second.

I got up and ran, till I left the cot on the backside of the truck, and I looked behind. The rest of the walkers were still trying to get to me, without noticing the man that was attacking them from behind. Daryl was using his knife to stab them in the brain, making the corpses die without a sound. It didn't give the impression that now were fewer zombies; in fact, it seemed that now were more, maybe twenty-five… I looked around to see that some walkers were going out from other stores, joining us.

"DARYL, LET'S GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" I yelled, getting on the truck. He cursed and ran, getting in the truck in a moment. He started the car and we left the zombies behind, both of us breathing hardly. When we turned the corner to the road, I sighed relieved. There were too many zombies to fight them. I breathed slowly in and out.

"It's ok, woman…" Daryl whispered, his eyes fixed on the road. I nodded.

"Yeah, it's ok."

It was not ok. I had fought hordes before. Maybe not twenty-five, but fifteen or twenty, sure. And, honestly, I had enjoyed it. I turned off my brain and let my body move, my body decided. But this time, I was terrified. I shook my head. _What the hell is wrong with me? _I thought. _You're a tough girl, aren't you? Why you acted like this? _I looked at my left. Daryl was chewing his lip. I rubbed my face with my hands. I was scared for him. I was frightened for the idea that something could happen to him. That was why I acted that way. "_I hadn't nobody to look for, so, looking it in that way, my situation was easier. I only worried bout myself" _the words I said to Rick some weeks ago came to my mind. That was the difference; now I cared. I used to fight for me, for survive, but it wasn't a big deal if I died, honestly, it wasn't too much trouble for me. But now I really wanted to live, and I really wanted him to live. I couldn't imagine how it would feel if something happened to Daryl. _He can take care of himself. _I nodded at my thoughts. I was sure that if someone could survive on his own in this messed up world, it would be Daryl Badass Dixon. I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts aside.

"That was close, huh?" I said. He nodded.

"Yeah. Ya ok?"

I smiled.

"Yes. And you?"

"Yeah."

I sighed. He looked a little upset.

"I guess this wasn't the best post-coital situation, don't you think?"

He smiled and looked at me by the eye's corner.

"Well, a rush of adrenaline is always exciting, even after sex…"

I chuckled.

"Personally, I prefer lie down for a while, smoking, and then having a nap." I said, stretching my back. Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"I prefer do it a second time." He said. I looked at him, smiling.

"You want a second round?"

He chuckled and turned the steering wheel, parking the car on the side of the road. There was nothing in sight, beside of trees and the lonely road. The birds were singing in the forest. I was staring at his face, his blue eyes shining with a naughty glint.

"When we'll arrive to the prison we wouldn't have time to be alone." I said. He denied with his head. I smiled and got closer to him, he inclined his head until our lips met, both of us smiling. His hands surrounded my waist and pulled me to him. I let him move me until I was sitting on top of him, my legs straddling. We kissed slowly, his hands up and down my back, caressing me. I dug my fingers in his hair, enjoying the feeling. God, he was an awesome kisser. I separated my lips from his and looked at his face, examining every detail. His stunning blue eyes, the shape of his nose, his lips… everything. This man was perfect. I slowly caressed his face, looking at his eyes. I noticed he had a scar in his left temple.

"How you made this?" I whispered. He smiled.

"Andrea shot me. She thought I was a walker."

I opened my eyes wider.

"What the fuck? Are you serious?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. Fortunately, she wasn't a good shooter at that time."

I passed my fingers around his scar. It was close. Just one centimeter to the right and he would be dead. I frowned.

"Now I have another reason to hate Andrea…"

He smiled, grabbing a strand of my black hair and putting it behind my ear, caressing my cheek with his thumb.

"Why ya hate her so much? I know ya don't like each other, but ya seem to really detest her."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"She could've stopped it." I whispered. Daryl frowned.

"Stop what?"

I looked at his confused eyes, feeling my blood boiling, pressing my teeth.

"Everything. She spent all the day with him; she could've killed him when he was asleep. And all of them would be alive. Merle would be alive."

He sighed slowly, his eyes still fixed on my face.

"Ya gotta get over it. We can't change a thing now. Merle's dead, and he died doin' somethin'…"

"Yeah." I interrupted him. "I know. But it's frustrating."

He kissed me slowly, and I frowned. He was kissing me in a different way, in a very sweet and calmed way. I felt how the frustration and the resentment left my mind as our lips moved together. I sighed and let myself go, losing my mind in the kiss. I pressed my body against him as I opened my mouth, letting his tongue enter to explore, feeling his wet lips against mines as the kiss became more intense.

His hands started running up and down my thighs and I grabbed his hair strongly, he moaned. I noticed how he was starting to need me and I moved my hands down to his pants.

"Here we go." I said, as he slammed his head back, closing his eyes.

* * *

"THEY'RE BACK! THEY'RE BACK!" Glenn yelled, running to the railing as we got closer with the car. Rick ran to the door with the keys in his hand, and Maggie and Carol distracted the walkers, so we got in. Everybody looked relieved and happy to see us there. I smiled.

"Home, sweet home." I whispered. Daryl chuckled.

He looked tired, his eyes were narrowed, and he had a sleepy look. He was dirty and sweaty, just like me, and it didn't make us look better. He yawned as he parked the car and I giggled.

"What?" He said, looking at me as he grabbed his crossbow.

"You need a nap, Dixon?" I said, opening the door. When I put my feet on the floor I noticed how tired I was too, my knees felt weak, and I smiled. _You just lost practice, _I thought.

"Daryl! Alicia!" Rick said, coming to us. "I was starting to worry, guys."

He and Daryl gave each other a manly nod, but I gave Rick a quick hug. He hugged me back, laughing a little.

"Everything good here, Boss?" I asked, as I separated from him. Maggie came to hug me too, and Carol went to salute Daryl.

"Actually, we had a visit. They said they know you."

I frowned, without understanding anything.

"Yeah, we met them in the shop. They seemed defenseless, and we thought…" Daryl said. Fuck, I forgot the family we found in there. I rubbed my eyes. _Your mind is so blurred you're becoming stupid_, I thought.

"I told them to stay in a cell, I couldn't deny them to." Rick said. "But it would have been better if they had come with you. I wasn't sure about the story they told us…"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"We wanted to do it alone." I said. "I mean, we didn't want to take care of anybody…"

"Is that blood?" Carol said, grabbing my t-shirt. I sighed.

"Yeah, we found some walkers in there. We had to leave before getting everything, but we were surrounded…"

Rick nodded.

"The most important thing is staying alive, ok?" He said. "Let's bring all this inside."

We started carrying everything and I noticed how we actually had made a good job. We had now a good bunch of supplies.

"You look really tired, Alicia." Maggie said, walking beside me. I smiled at her.

"I am. But all worth it."

"Absolutely." Glenn said, carrying two bags of food.

"Yeah, I'm sure…" Maggie said, raising eyebrows. I contained a smile.

We left everything in the kitchen, and we rationed the hygiene products. When we ended I was almost falling asleep on the table.

"If you don't care, I'm going to bed." I said, getting up.

"There's nothing you want to say to us?" Rick asked, and I looked at him puzzled. What? I felt like a teenager being interrogated by her father.

"Mmmm… No."

"You sure? If you had to run away from there, I'm sure there were a lot of walkers. Are you alright?"

I laughed out loud.

"I'm fine, Dad, I've fought zombies before." I said, going to my cell.

"That's not what I meant." Rick said, walking with me, away from the others.

"So?"

"So… everything was right with Daryl? How was it to fight shoulder with shoulder? It's something new for you."

This fucking man knew everything about everyone, it was almost creepy.

"Damn, Boss. Well, it was weird. And scary." I frowned. I sat on my bed and took off my boots, thinking about that strong feeling of fear I experimented in town. I looked at Rick; his kind blue eyes looked me back from the cell's door. "It had been really scary. Like, the scariest thing ever. It was horrible to think something could happen to him." I whispered, and it was liberating to say it out loud. I sighed.

Rick nodded.

"And how did you feel when you were finally safe? When you saw Daryl was just fine?"

I bit my lip, thinking. I felt the relieve running through my body like a wave. I felt that I can't be without him.

"Happy." I answered, smiling. "I felt happy."

Rick smiled too.

"Good night, Alicia."

"Good night, Rick."

He went away and I lay down on the bed, thinking about that strange, wonderful, scary day that was ending.

"Hey woman."

I smiled with my eyes closed.

"Hey man."

I felt the mattress sinking a little, Daryl had sat down on it.

"Ya ok?"

I giggled.

"I have lost the count of how many times you ask me that during the day." I said, opening my eyes and looking at him. He was chewing his lip. "Yes, Daryl, I'm fine. I'm great, actually. I'm just tired."

He nodded.

"What ya told to Rick?"

I smiled, sitting beside him. I passed my fingers through his hair, and he closed his eyes for a second, just to open them to stare at me.

"I've told him that I just had the most amazing sex in a shop's counter and, after that, I've fought some zombies. Then, I'd ran away like a scared little girl, and after that, I've fucked again, this time in a car, and my legs are still weak. I thought Rick should know it." I said very serious, as a little smile ran through his lips.

"I wasn't joking."

"Me neither."

We looked at each other for ten seconds, and then he shook his head.

"Ok. I just wanted to kiss ya goodnight, but maybe ya don't want ta…"

"The hell? I want _all_ the kisses you wanna give me." I said, getting closer to him. Our lips met in a pure and sweet kiss, both of us smiling. When we moved away, we stood close, our noses almost touching.

"It's been a good day." Daryl whispered.

"Yeah, Daryl. I think so."

We kissed again before he left my cell, and I fell asleep with my lips tickling and a little smile on my face.

* * *

**_AN: _**_Well, here's another one! Thanks to everybody following this story it means a lot to me! I hope you're enjoying it! Next chapter soon!_


	10. Chapter 10: Happy Birthday (part I)

**CHAPTER X: HAPPY BIRTHDAY (part I)**

_"No, you don't understand a fuckin' thing!" I yelled at the angry tanned face of the man who was looking at me with his eyes burning of rage._

_"Control your mouth…" The man said with his teeth pressed, bringing his face closer to mine. I couldn't tell which one of us was angrier. _

_"Look, I'm just asking for you to give me somethin' that's MINE!" I said, losing my patience. _

_"Treat me with more respect, or I'll…"_

_I laughed, but it sounded like a bark._

_"You'll what? C'mon, what?" I said, motioning him, to come to me if he wanted to. "You'll show me who the boss is? I can't wait to see you trying to…"_

_"Shut it, bitch, I'm gonna…"_

_"Wow, wow, what's goin' on here?" A southern voice said, coming to where we were. I turned around to see that rough face I liked so much. He was coming with the blonde pretty woman, Andrea was the name._

_"Merle! This fucker is driving me mad!" I yelled._

_"What happened, Martinez?" Andrea asked. He puffed._

_"This girl is asking me for something I don't have, and she doesn't understand a word…"_

_"Don't try to sell that to me…"_

_"Ok, ok…" Merle said. "What're ya askin' for?"_

_"My weapons." I answered. Merle pressed his lips._

_"You don't need them in here. You're safe." Andrea said with a calmed voice. I rolled my eyes._

_"You've got a revolver." _

_She smiled._

_"That's because I'm part of the guard of the town."_

_"Then I wanna be that too." I said, resting my hands in my hips._

_"You can't." Martinez said. "Governor thinks you're not qualified for it."_

_I looked at him with all the revulsion I could express and then I sighed._

_"Ok. You know you guys are actually stealing me, right? If you value so much the civilization and all that crap, for you this must be a crime, an offense or whatever, am I wrong?" _

_Merle was trying not to laugh; I could notice it in his eyes and his pressed lips._

_"Look, Alice…" Andrea said._

_"Alicia."_

_"Look, Alicia, we can't let somebody walk around with two axes hanging on her back, you understand?"_

_I blinked a couple of times._

_"No, I don't. I don't know if you have noticed it, but there are zombies all around."_

_Martinez puffed._

_"We won't give you your weapons if Governor doesn't allow it. That's all I can say. He doesn't trust you, so neither do I."_

_"Let me tell where you can put Governor's trust…"_

_"Drop it, girlie." Merle said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to him, away from Martinez and Andrea. "Let's go."_

_"But I want my axes!"_

_"Ya'll have 'em, but not today."_

_I puffed and bit my tongue._

_"Ya gotta control yarself, girlie. And look at the one who's telling ya this." Merle said. "Ya're getting' really bad enemies, and makin' all that scandal won't help ya."_

_"I was asking for something that's mine."_

_He chuckled._

_"They don't give a fuck, Ali. And wantin' yar weapons so bad just make 'em think ya're plannin' to run away again."_

_"I'm not."_

_"I know that. Ya won't put yar ol' Merle in danger, will ya?" _

_"I won't. And I wouldn't leave without you."_

_Merle surrounded my shoulders with his strong arm. _

_"Now ya say that. But when ya see the opportunity, ya'll leave me behind. Some others did that before." He said, raising his handless arm. I rolled my eyes._

_"Your brother wasn't even there, Merle. You don't know how he reacted when the others came back and he knew they left you there. In fact, you don't even know if the Sheriff and the others made it, maybe they got killed."_

_"Nah, that kind of fuckers always survive. Andrea told me they made it."_

_I frowned._

_"Whatever, Merle." I didn't want to argue with him about his younger brother, Daryl. I thought that guy probably didn't know he was alive. I mean, if I was that Sheriff or the guy that lost the key of the cuffs, I would have tell the brother of the guy I left handcuffed to a pipe that he got eaten by the walkers, not that I condemned him to slowly die or to cut his hand off. But Merle had this feeling of abandon that I couldn't understand. That Daryl guy seemed a loyal brother. "Where are we going?"_

_"To the library."_

_I rolled my eyes._

_"Must be my birthday." I sighed._

_"Ya don't get tired of being always so sarcastic? 'Cause I'm getting' tired myself." He said. I laughed._

_"Oh, Merle, you love me and you know it. I'm the best thing in your life right now… or ever." I joked, hitting him with my elbow._

_"Actually, I think it's on the contrary, girlie. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to ya." Merle said. I smiled._

_"Probably you're right."_

"Happy Birthday, Auntie Alicia." A childish voice said near to my ear. I opened my eyes as I felt a tear roll down, and my heart was feeling heavy, and it was difficult to swallow. I sighed deeply, trying not to sob, as I rubbed my eyes strongly with my hands, and I turned my head to the little girl with big brown eyes. Katie was looking at me with her eyes shining and a big smile on her lips.

"Thanks, honey, but I'm not your auntie, remember?"

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are." She said, frowning.

"No, I'm not. I'm not your mother's sister, nor your father's, so…"

She looked confused.

"And what have that to do with being my auntie?"

I smiled.

"Ok, I'm your auntie. Just don't call me that, ok? Call me Ali, or Alicia, or whatever, but not Auntie."

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't like it."

Katie pouted, but I kept my face serious. That nickname made me think about my real nephew and that wasn't something I wanted to think about.

"Ok." She finally whispered. "I've made something for you."

I sat down on the bed.

"Really? And what's it?" I said, rubbing my eyes, trying to push the sleep and the nightmares away.

Katie showed me something similar to a muffin. It was a little amorphous, and had this strange brown and pink color, but it was a muffin.

"Oh! Thank you so much, Katie!"

The girl smiled widely.

"Do you like it? Mom and Carol helped me. It is of chocolate and pink candy."

I laughed a little and took it from her tiny hands.

"I love it." I said, giving a long hug to the girl. When I moved away, she looked at me expectant.

"Come on, eat it!"

I smiled.

"You know what? We'll go to the cafeteria to see if anybody else wants a bite. It's good to share."

She giggled, excited.

"Maybe Dar wants a little!"

I smiled.

"Sure, we'll make him taste it…"

* * *

I damned the time I told Maggie that Saturday was my birthday when I got to the cafeteria and I found the silly faces of everybody. They looked at me like a father looks at his teenager daughter when she gets to eighteen- the she's-a-woman-now look. I rolled my eyes as I met Daryl's, he was containing a smile when he saw the muffin-like thing I held on my hand.

"Happy…" Rick said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know it. Thanks." I said, then I look at the rest; Carol, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel, Beth, Carl… "Thanks to everybody who was about to wish me a happy birthday."

Beth pouted a little, but Carol and Maggie shared an understanding look, a we-knew she-was-gonna-react-like-this face.

"You will take us the pleasure to say the words?" Hershel said. "Having a year more now is even more important than before."

I pressed my lips at his kind face, with his little smile, knowing he had said the right words to making me incapable of denying it. I sighed.

"Ok."

"Happy birthday!" They said, with triumph smiles on their faces.

"Thanks." I mumbled, as I walked to a table to sit down. Daryl was sit there, sharpening his knife. I sat in front of him, and he mumbled, without looking at me:

"Happy twenty-two, woman."

I smiled. It was funny that the person I had the deepest relationship with, the man I had have sex with just before going to sleep the night before, was the one that wished me a happy birthday in the more quiet way. Daryl's way. He wasn't the kind of man that would hold me and kiss me in front of the others. And it was good with me; I wouldn't have felt comfortable with the public cuddles.

"Thanks." I said, looking at him. He raised his look and our eyes met. He smiled a little, and that smile was more for me that a whole birthday party of anybody else. My heart beat strongly in my chest as I smiled him back.

"What's that thing?" He said, pointing at the muffin with his knife. I shrugged my shoulders.

"A birthday present."

I pinched the muffin and brought a piece into my mouth. Surprisingly, it was good. It was sweeter than everything I'd tasted in months, but it was good. It tasted like birthday. I smiled. A big hand attacked _my_ muffin and I looked at Daryl really indignant, as I saw him eating a good piece of my present.

"It's good." He said with his mouth full of muffin. I couldn't resist laughing out loud.

"I made it!" A proud Katie said, getting closer to Daryl.

Her mother, Lena, laughed out loud.

"I think it's an awesome present, girlie." Daryl said, and my heart hurt. Merle came to my mind again, and I remembered the dream I had just before Katie woke me up.

"Say 'thanks', Katie." Lena said, looking at her daughter.

"Thanks." Katie said to Daryl. "You don't have any present for her? She's your wife, you should give her flowers."

I laughed out loud.

"She's not his wife, honey." Lena said.

"You should teach her the meaning of 'wife'." I said. "And on your way, try to teach her what an aunt is, too."

Katie was looking at us really confused.

"She's not your wife?" She asked Daryl.

"No, Katie, we're not married."

The girl inclined a little her head.

"But you're kissing her all the time."

Everybody chuckled quietly, but Daryl and I were speechless. That girl and the fucking honesty of children. Daryl cleared his throat and looked at me with the words 'HELP ME' all over his face.

"Katie, it isn't necessary to be married to kiss someone." I said. "And, in the future, try not to say what other people do when you weren't supposed to be watching them."

Maggie burst into laugh, and even Daryl chuckled a little.

"Ok." The girl said. "But you bought her flowers or not?"

Daryl had a mix of embarrassment, discomfort and fun in his face.

"No, but I have a present for her. But it's a secret." He said, putting his index finger in front of his lips. The little girl nodded, giggling, and she went with her mother.

"Let's go outside, baby." Lena said, and they went away. The mother was containing a smile.

Daryl got up.

"Wanna come?" He said, putting his crossbow on his back. I raised my eyebrows.

"Where?"

He smiled.

"If ya haven't changed your mind, the bike's ready."

I got up with a jump.

"Saturday's bike ride!" I said, excited. Daryl nodded.

"Let's go, woman."

* * *

I tried to calm down my excitement as we went out to find the bike, just to seem that I was controlling myself. Inside, I was almost screaming of joy. I wanted to get on that bike since the first time I saw it, even more when I knew it was Daryl's. I could even allow the "SS" symbol if he would drive it.

A chorus of "Happy Birthday, Alicia" followed us to the bike, including the family we found in the store some days ago. They were now like a happy memory, because I related them with the experience in the shop. Their names were Michael and Nora, the parents, and Lilly and Lisa, the two little girls. They were nice and Lilly had made a cute friendship with Katie, the two girls were running around the patio with some ugly dolls held against their chests. I smiled at the sight. It was good that Katie had other girl of her age to play with. Nora and Lena were talking beside the railing, hanging clothes on a strain to dry them.

"Hi, Alicia!" Lena said. "Sorry for Katie's commentaries. And Happy Birthday to you, again!"

I smiled.

"Oh, it's ok. And thanks, again."

"Oh, is it your birthday today? How many years?" Nora asked, her blonde hair shining with the sun.

"Twenty-two."

She looked at Daryl as he went to the bike after squeezing softly my shoulder.

"Oh. I thought you were older… I mean, I saw you with him…"

I laughed.

"He's quite older than me, if that's what you're asking."

She seemed troubled for a second.

"Oh, I didn't mean…"

"Age is no longer an important thing." Lena said. "I haven't told you that I'm glad of your thing with Daryl. Whatever it is."

I felt how my cheeks turned red.

"Oh, well, thanks. I guess. I neither know what this is, actually…" I recognized.

Both of them smiled me.

"Whatever it is, it makes you happy." Lena said. "Both of you. I don't really know Daryl, but I'd never seen you this… pleased."

I internally laughed. _Well chosen word, mommy, _I thought.

"Honestly," I said. "Even if we had known each other before all the zombie shit, Lena, you wouldn't have seen me how I am now."

Silly smiles ran across the women faces as the roar of the bike ran through the yard. Daryl got closer, his strong arms grabbing the handlebar, his winged vest floating behind him. I smiled at the sexy sight, knowing that he wasn't aware of how well he looked in the bike.

"Sometimes we find the most amazing things in the most terrifying moments." Nora said. "Enjoy it. And have a nice birthday."

"Hell she will." Daryl's voice said behind me. I turned to him and walked to the vehicle, jumping on it.

"Oh, Alicia, I wanna talk you about something when you come back. Have fun." Lena said. I nodded and the bike vibrated beneath me, starting our way out of the prison with a rough rush, and I held tighter my grip on Daryl's waist trying not to fell off.

* * *

The wind made my black loosed hair float back and I closed my eyes, feeling free for the first time in a long, long time. The vibrations of the bike sent rushes of adrenaline up my spine, and Daryl's hot body against mine made me feel safe. It was like there wasn't a single worry in the world. Just us, the road and the wind.

"This is awesome!" I yelled to make Daryl hear me. I noticed the vibrations on his back, and I knew he was laughing.

"We'll stop ten miles further! We'll eat something!" He said, and I surrounded his waist more enthusiastically, till my hands met in front of his abdomen, and I interlocked my fingers. I let my head rest on his back. _Look at us, _I thought, _we could be just a regular couple going for a ride on a Saturday. Enjoying a free day after working all week. Going for a picnic. Having fun together. If there weren't zombies between the trees on the sides of the road, of course. _

A path was open between the trees, and Daryl turned the bike so we got in. We drove into the forest, and I hoped walkers were further enough to not get to us. After a few minutes, Daryl stopped the engine.

"Here we are." He said, getting off the bike. I followed him and when my feet hit the ground, his body pressed against mine, pushing me to the bike. "Are ya likin' my birthday present?" He whispered against my lips. His warm breath entered my mouth, and my heart accelerated its beatings. I licked my lips.

"Very much." I said. "Actually, it's the most perfect present I ever had."

Our lips met in a sweet kiss, he sighed against my mouth as I sank my fingers in his hair. He moved away from me and gave me a slow kiss in the forehead; I took a deep breath, inhaling his aroma.

"Time to eat." Daryl said, and moved to reach his bag, grabbing my hand on the way and directing me between the trees. _Are we walking holding hands? _I thought to myself, and yes, that was exactly what we were doing. "It isn't true, is it?" Daryl said, pulling me away from my thoughts.

"What?" I asked, a bit confused.

"The thing 'bout the present. This isn't your best present ever."

I grimaced a little, and I recorded some of my past birthdays; my mom splashing the cake against the floor when my dad didn't show up to dinner, my dad wasted in the couch when my school friends arrived to gave me some greeting card, or vomiting on the bathroom after the dinner, in my fifteenth birthday, drinking beer, drinking vodka, drinking anything… or my nineteenth birthday, working all day in the cafeteria I was in that time, that day a guy grabbed my ass and I punched him, so I got fired. Or past year, when I stood all day on a tree, almost dehydrated, waiting for the walkers to move away to going search some water.

"Actually, it is." I admitted. Daryl raised an eyebrow at me and pulled me closer to him by my hand, then his arm surrounded my shoulders, and he kissed my temple.

"Damn, that's sad, woman."

I laughed out loud.

"I don't think so."

We kept walking a few minutes, till Daryl said we were in the right place, and we sat down, against a tree. We could see the bike from where we were, so we wouldn't be afraid of someone stealing it. Daryl opened his bag and took off two sandwiches and two beers.

"You must be kidding me!" I said as I took the beer from his hand in a fast movement. "Where did you get these beers of?"

He shrugged his shoulders, half smiling.

"I have my tricks." He said, and opened his own beer. I took a sip. It was cold, bitter and delicious. I moaned as I let my head rest on his chest, he surrounded my neck with his arm. He stood in silence, drinking and eating, and then we lit our cigarettes. It was hot; we were in July, and the sun was shining. I felt a drop of sweat falling down the nape of my neck, but I didn't care.

"You know, we should get back someday to that lake we found. A cold bath would be great on these days." I said. He kissed my temple with a sigh.

"Yeah, why not?"

"But this time we'll swim naked." I added, smiling. I raised my head to look at him as he laughed.

"Yeah, I'm on that. If ya want, we can go right now."

I laughed as well, and I stretched my neck to get to his lips.

"You don't need to get me to a lake to make me get naked." I whisper against his lips, my voice sounded guttural and husky, I didn't expect it.

"Dirty woman…" He muttered and our lips met with desire.

I thought that after having sex the first time, our instincts will calm down. That once we pleased our bodies, we would be able to control ourselves. But it wasn't like that. Not at all. If even, now we felt the need of each other in a more intense way. Once we came back to the prison after our trip to get supplies, we found ourselves desperate to find some quiet place to have a quick fuck, or to please each other in any way. It was difficult, but we finally managed to get it. In the backyard at night, in our cells when everybody was sleeping, in the showers when nobody was planned to use them. Any time our eyes met in the prison, making guard or eating something in the cafeteria, I felt how my abdomen got tense, and that heavy feeling in my chest, my whole body told me to intertwine with his. It was almost animal, if it wasn't for the chats we had later, how we looked at each other or how his caresses made me melt, not in a sexual way, but in a _shit-I'm-in-love _way. It was a burden I was carrying since the shopping day, when we were coming back to the prison and we stopped the car. When I was sitting on top of him, looking at his face, I could felt it. It was a strange feeling, and I didn't know if it was love, but it was definitely _something_. The chills that ran through my body when I looked at his blue eyes, the fear I felt of the thought of losing him, the way I couldn't stop smiling any time he put his hands on me… there were things I never felt before. Not at all. And I tried hard to keep everybody away of noticing, and I wasn't sure of how will everybody react when they knew. _But Lena knows, _my brain told me, _and so does Nora. And they are happy for you. Don't try to fool yourself, girlie. All of them can see it, even more after what Katie said this morning. They are happy for both of you. They love you. _I frowned at my thoughts, without knowing if they were true. Did all of us _loved _each other, or we were just together for convenience? _Maybe a little of both. _I knew I loved Maggie, and Glenn, and Carol, and Rick, and Katie, and Hershel, and Carl, even Michonne, and definitely Daryl. I needed them. They were the family I never had. _Sometimes we find the most amazing things in the most terrifying moments, _Nora's words came to my mind. She was talking about Daryl, but I thought the truth in her statement was even beyond him.

"What's wrong?" Daryl's voice said against my mouth, I catch my breath.

_I love you. _

"Nothing. Everything's fine."

We connect our lips again as his hand started running up my thigh, and my abdomen tensed with anticipation. His rough big hands caressed slowly the backside of my thighs, his fingertips moving beneath the hem of my short jeans, getting to private property. I moaned.

Suddenly, he moved away from my lips and I opened my eyes to find his face in full alert mode. I frowned.

"What?" I asked.

"I heard somethin'. Like glass breakin'. C'mon." He said, and he got up and grabbed his crossbow. I followed him with a resignation sigh and we walked into the forest.

We walked no more than two minutes till we got to a cleared zone between the trees.

"Holy fuck." I whispered, watching what we had in front of us.

It was an encampment. Some tents were scattered all around, and in the middle there was a table with maps, bottles and glasses. We walked closer, trying not to make any sound. Daryl motioned me to watch inside the tents, making sure there was nobody there. A raccoon was sat on the table, and a glass was broken on the floor. Daryl scared the animal away as he grabbed a whiskey bottle from the table and put it in his bag. The tents were empty.

"There's nobody here." I said. "We should go before anybody returns… we don't know how many they are, but judging by the number of tents, I bet they are more than two."

Daryl's face was contracted with something like anger. I frowned. "What's wrong?" I asked, getting closer and looking down, following his eyes. He was looking at the map, it had some pen marks and a zone circled, with annotations all around, like planning their positions. I gasped when I recognized the marked area.

It was the prison.

* * *

I grabbed the map and looked it closer. It wasn't possible… was it?

"This circle…" I said lowly.

"Yeah, it is. It has the name written, if ya don't believe it." Daryl muttered, as he walked all around searching for something I didn't know.

I looked at the words beneath the marked area on the map. _West Georgia Correctional Facility. _Our home. The truth made its way in my brain as I understood that someone was planning to attack us.

"We should go back." I whispered when I was able to talk again.

"Yeah." Daryl said, and he started running inside the woods, I followed him closer. We got to the bike in a moment and jumped on it.

"What were you looking for in there?" I asked, as he started the engine with a roar.

"Weapons. But I found nothin'."

I took a long breath as we started moving. There were no weapons. That wasn't a good signal.

The way back to the prison wasn't so funny. I felt a knot in my stomach and my blood was boiling, I wasn't even able to think. I just could see one face, even when I closed my eyelids, the same face was there… with a patch in an eye, and the other eye looking at me with disgust, with hatred. I hadn't seen him since the day I attacked him, and honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to ever find him again. The guy was dangerous, and surely pissed off.

The bike did an unexpected twist and I saw that a truck was getting closer to us.

"Fuck!" I shouted, and I noticed how Daryl's body got rigid.

It was a blue truck, with some guys sitting on the backside, I recognized the driver. Martinez. I could tell who was sitting next to him, then. When the two vehicles crossed we looked at each other for a millisecond, and I saw the shock on Martinez's face. We kept going and I heard a scream behind us: "SHOOT!"

The second after that, I heard an explosion and a sudden pain in my ankle. I pressed my teeth and my eyelids, trying to contain a scream.

"The fuckers are shooting us!" I yelled at Daryl ear, as I took the gun from his belt and twisted my waist to face the truck. It was stopped in the middle of the road, the bullets flying on the air. I shot one, two, three times, and then I saw one of them falling on the trucks floor. I smiled as I put up my middle finger to them and shot again, as they started the truck and went away. We took a curve and I lost the sight of the vehicle.

Daryl was driving so fast I closed my eyes trying to not get dizzy. Maybe it had something with the bleeding I was suffering, cause I felt how the pain in my ankle got harder and harder, and I was praying for the wound to be superficial. As the prison appeared in front of my eyes, a feel of relieve invaded my body, like if I was thinking the prison could have just blew up. When I saw Glenn running to open us the door, the relieve was replaced with fear. He was splashed with blood, his face pale and the fear in his eyes. We entered the prison and stopped the bike. Daryl got off and I tried to imitate him, in a very slower way.

"Thanks God you're…" Glenn started to say, and I saw Maggie and Rick coming closer. They were alive. The joy made me sigh. "You're bleeding!"

Daryl's face turned to me as I looked shocked, like if I didn't know I was hurt.

"What…?" Daryl said, his eyes wide open as he bended down to examine my ankle.

"First things first." I said. "What happened here?"

Glenn frowned and looked to the ground and at that moment Rick, Maggie and Carol got to us.

"Oh, are you ok?" Carol asked.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Oh, my god, is that a bullet wound?" Maggie asked.

"What happened?" I was starting to lose my patience.

"Did you find them on the road?" Rick said, and I yelled:

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED HERE, GUYS?"

I noticed how sad they looked. I grimaced when Daryl spilt water on my wound, cleaning it. Glenn looked to the floor and Rick looked behind him, turning back to the other side of the yard.

There were resting large pieces of fabric, covering what seemed to be human bodies.

* * *

_**AN: **Dum, dum dum! Next chapter soon!**  
**_

**_AN2: _**_I updated the chapters introducing spacing between paragraphs to facilitate reading, as I realized it was a bit confusing. Sorry for not doing it sooner._


	11. Chapter 11: Happy Birthday (part II)

**CHAPTER XI: HAPPY BIRTHDAY (II)**

_"You are worthless. Just like your mama." My father spitted the words at my face._

_I chuckled as I put another shirt inside my bag. His words were hurting, but I didn't want him to know that he had a chance to harm me at all._

_"You can talk all the shit you wanna. I'm used to your crap, and I don't care anymore."_

_He took another sip of his beer, resting his back against the open door._

_"And where will you go? To Tommy's? Or David's? Or any other guy who let you live in his house for a daily blowjob?"_

_I froze my hands over the bag, with a pair of jeans in them. I let the pants fall. As I took a long breath I closed my eyes. Did he just say that?_

_"Don't treat me like a whore." I muttered._

_"I treat you just like what you are." He said, coming closer. I smelt the beer and the old sweat in his shirt. It made me want to vomit. _

_"You're lucky I don't treat you how you deserve." I said, getting up and facing him. "Like and old, useless, drunk and stupid bastard."_

_The hit was so sudden that I had no time to react, I wasn't expecting it. My face turned to a side and I felt it burn, but I pressed my teeth trying to contain myself from returning him the slap. I won't stoop to his level. _

_"You wonder why momma left. Why Susie left. Here you got it." I said, zipping my bag and taking a box where my most important things were. "Cause they hated you. Just like I do. You're a good-for-nothing man. And I won't let you bring me down to the crap you live in with you. Good bye."_

_I passed beside him to the door and I heard how he slammed his fist against the wall. Oh-oh. I started running, trying to escape his rage, and I got to the street door before he could get me._

_"You'll come back!"_

_I turned my head to face him._

_"I'll just see you again in your funeral!" I yelled going down the stairs. "I'll only enjoy seeing you again when I see you DEAD!"_

_I heard his laughter chasing me in my way out._

_"Happy sixteen birthday, you slut!" He yelled, and a can of beer passed beside my ear. I ran faster, escaping from my life._

* * *

I kneeled beside the large pieces of fabric on the floor. I took a long, deep breath as I grabbed one and allowed myself to watch the face of the woman lying on the floor, dead.

"Oh my God…" I whispered as I rested my head on her chest, which had no longer a palpitating sound inside it. "_Lena…" _I cried, watching the face of the woman I was so used to see around, laughing and playing with her little daughter. Her face was pale and the hole on her forehead made me want to scream. I wanted to yell so loud I lose my voice; I wanted to punch, and kick and kill the bastards who had done this. Low weeps were heard from outside the prison. Everybody was crying for their dead ones inside.

I moved my eyes to the body next to Lena's. One little hand was showed beneath the brown fabric, and a rush of fear invaded my body.

"No, no, no, no, no…" I whispered as I got closer and slowly, so slowly it hurt, I took the piece of cloth away. A little girl, with bright blond hair was resting there, as if she was sleeping. The bullet's hole in her head was the most terrible sight I ever watched, and I had seen some awful crap. Anyway, a sigh of relief went out my lips, and I immediately felt guilty about it. She wasn't Katie. She was Lilly, the little daughter of Nora and Michael, the family we found on the shop some days ago, even though it seemed an eternity. I passed my fingertips slowly for her cheek; it was so cold that I moved away my hand with a shake. Daryl was in front of me. He had uncovered the rest of the bodies much less delicately than me, and now we were looking at seven of our people laying dead on the ground.

I knew all their names and all their faces. Lena and Lilly. And Holly was there too; one of the girls I argued with one far day in the cafeteria, and Roger, an old man who used to teach the kids mathematics and English. A contraction of pain covered my face when I saw Ellen's face, the young girl who had a baby just some weeks ago. The baby wasn't there, fortunately. Beside her was resting Liam, a little kid who used to scratch his knees a little too much. His blue eyes were open and I looked away. The other two bodies were sisters, Mary and Jane, if I wasn't wrong. They were younger than me.

"We heard the sound of a motor, and we tried to move everybody inside the prison, but too many people were outside." Maggie said. "They began shooting even before we could prepare ourselves."

"Too many fell." Carol muttered, kneeling beside me and surrounding my shoulders with her arms. I moved away, getting up.

"There are injured people?" I asked, rubbing my nose with the back of my hand.

Glenn nodded.

"Yeah. Sasha had a bullet in her thigh; Hershel is trying to heal her. And Nora got hit when she tried to save her daughter."

I nodded.

"Nobody else?"

Daryl pointed my ankle.

"Ya should go to the infirmary to see Hershel."

I nodded and turned around. I entered the infirmary just to see Nora crying desperately in her husband's arms and Sasha pressing her teeth while Tyreese held her sister's hand.

"Alicia, you're back…" Hershel said, looking at me with tired eyes.

I opened one of the closets and took off a bottle of alcohol, a gauze and needle and thread.

I sat down on the floor and poured a squirt of alcohol on my ankle, and then I sutured it without any contemplation.

"Oh, my God, what the hell are you doing?" Tyreese said, looking at me like I had gone crazy. I said nothing.

"If you wait I will take care of it." Hershel said.

"I can do it myself." I said roughly and when I ended I covered the wound with the gauze and I got up, exiting the infirmary.

I crossed the yard and I ignored all the questions I heard on my way, till I got to Rick.

"Oh, Alicia, are you…?"

"Can you please open the railing?" I asked politely. He frowned, looking confused.

"What?"

"I would be thankful if you open the railing so I can get out."

"What?" Maggie said behind me. "Do you wanna leave us?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I didn't say that. I wanna go out for some minutes, cause if I don't kill some zombies I'll kill some humans, and you'll be pissed with me."

"Look, Alicia…" Rick started.

"Open the fuckin' door, Rick." Daryl said at my back. "I'll take care of her."

I rolled my eyes again.

"You're talking like if I needed you. You can stay here, I'm out. Don't play the boyfriend with me, Dixon." I barked, and he puffed.

"Whatever ya say, ya smartass. Go ahead and got bit. I'll open a beer in your memory tonight, have fun."

I chuckled.

"Sure. I knew you wouldn't give a damn if I died like all of these dumbasses."

He looked at me with a mix of anger, incredibility and disgust.

"Ya're right. I don't give a fuck 'bout ya." He said, and he turned around making his way inside the prison. I knew I would regret my words, and I knew his words would hurt me, but in that moment I was completely numb.

"Open it."

Rick opened the railing and I went out, holding my axes.

* * *

"Can you please come in now?" Carol's soft voice said from the other side of the railing.

I was breathing hard, covered of sweat and splashes of blood. Dead bodies were scattered all around, and I looked at them empty, I could only feel the strong beatings of my heart.

"Why?" I whispered, more to myself than to Carol.

"We have lost a lot of people today. We are a family and we need you. You are scaring the people more than they already were. You can't kill more walkers; you'd got rid of all of them. I'm asking you please, Alicia. Come in."

The sweet voice of the woman ran through my body and I turned around. She opened the railing and I entered, falling in her arms.

"I'm so sorry…" I sobbed against her chest as I fell on my knees. She held me tight against her, like a mother would do. Suddenly, I remembered that the woman who was hugging me had lost her daughter, and possibly this situation was more painful for her than for many of us.

"You don't have to. We didn't know what was gonna happen."

"If Daryl and I would've stayed here, we could have protected you. I took your best warrior with me."

Carol embrace went weaker and she took my face between her hands, looking at my eyes.

"It's not your fault. Even if you two had been here, we would have been attacked anyway. Neither you nor Daryl could have done anything. Our best warriors couldn't have protected us."

I nodded and I got up, walking with my arms around Carol's waist.

"And you must go to talk with Daryl." Carol said.

I remembered our discussion and a heavy burden fell on my chest.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." I whispered as we got in the prison. "I'm a cruel emotionless bitch."

Carol smiled.

"No, you're not. But Daryl's a good man. Don't lose him just because you were mad with the world."

I nodded, without knowing exactly what to do. How will I go to talk to Daryl after what I said to him?

Everybody was reunited in the cafeteria. Rick was standing on his feet in the middle, and he looked tired. He was pale and his eyes were red. I felt a guilt sensation on my stomach when I though that I had contributed to made him feel like that. Like if he hadn't enough worries, a girl was outside the prison killing zombies like a sick crazy bitch, screaming and putting herself in danger. _Oh, yeah, Alicia, you're very helpful. _

Katie ran at me screaming "Auntie!" when she saw me. I kneeled and embraced her in my arms, feeling the tears rolling down my face. This poor girl lost her mother today. She needed me and I wasn't there. I held her tighter.

"Katie, sweetie pie…" I whispered at her ear.

"Mommy's gone, auntie…" she cried lowly against my chest.

"I know, honey. I'm so sorry…"

Her voice broke my heart in two when she said: "Dar told me you would come back for me…"

I raised my eyes to find Daryl's. His blue eyes were piercing me, but in the moment I looked at him, he looked away. Carol was beside him now and she said something at his ear. He looked at her harshly and answered something like "I don't care".

I sat on a stool with Katie held against my chest and I nodded at Rick, who was looking at me. An understanding glance was enough between us to know that we were happy to see each other healthy and rational.

"What happened today will stay in our memories forever." Rick started his speech. "We've lost a lot of people, and I truly give my apologies to their families and friends. What happened today can't happen again. We lost the feeling of danger as they prepared themselves for the attack. For now on, the security would be updated. Nobody would be on the yard without permission or without weapons. We will protect the rest of us. I know today there's nothing I can say to make you feel better, so I'll just say: go to sleep, cry for your dead ones and tomorrow will be another day."

Rick went out the cafeteria and so did Daryl. I looked at the wet face of the girl sat on my lap. Ok, maybe this hadn't been the best speech ever. But I didn't know how to improve it. Anyway, I got up and cleared my throat. Rick and Daryl turned around from the door and looked at me.

"Hello… hi…" I said, looking at all the faces around me. They were all so sad I almost sit down again, but I took courage from… I don't really know from where I took it. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I wasn't even here when all of that happened. And I'm sorry for that too. I know it's difficult to believe that now, when the danger is everywhere, our principal threat is a living man, but it is. I know you can't believe that this had happened. We do our best to protect you; everybody who was in the prison before we got here, and Tyreese, Sasha, many of us and myself. But you gotta make yourselves stronger." I said, and Rick got closer to me, like if he was preparing to stop me if I say something inappropriate. "You gotta learn that this world won't give you anything for free. We won't find a place where we can just live picking flowers and sunbathing. We have to fight. You have to fight. Rick's right; go to sleep and cry all that you got to, but after that, prepare yourselves. If the people that have died today, instead of women and kids would have been others; if today Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Daryl or Maggie had died, what would you do now? You can't always live thinking someone will protect you. Cause sometimes, the right people isn't there. Like I hadn't been today."

Maggie looked at me with a mix of sadness and approval, and so did Glenn. I nodded and cleared my throat.

"Good night." I ended and I grabbed Katie from beneath the armpits and raised her till she surrounded my neck with her little arms. I passed beside Daryl and Rick without looking at them and went to my cell, trying to make Katie fall asleep without tears.

* * *

When I lay her on the bed, she rubbed her eyes and looked at me.

"Are you ok, auntie?" She asked, her curly brown hair scattered all around the pillow.

"Yeah, honey." The next question got stuck on my throat, but I managed to say "And you, Katie?"

She pressed her lips and looked at me concentrated, like if she was thinking exactly what to say.

"I'm sad for my mommy. Carol told me she's gone with the angels, but I want her to come back."

_With the angels? Oh, fuck, Carol, why did you say that?_

"Look, sweetie, your mommy hasn't gone with the angels 'cause she wanted to. She had an accident. And she got hurt. So the angels came for her, so she can be fine in the heaven, with them. She can't come back, it's a rule."

The girl frowned while she processed the information. I felt like crap lying like this, making her believe in angels when I just said everybody should be stronger. But she was so pure, so innocent, that saying to her "Sorry, your mommy got shot by a psycho and for avoiding her to turn into a zombie, someone blew up her head" was too cruel, too harsh. The angel's shit was better.

"Did any of the bad men hurt her?"

"Bad men? ¡Oh, you mean the walkers!" I said when I understood it. I moved closer to her, running my finger through her hair slowly, caressing her head. "No, honey. It wasn't one of them. You remember Governor?"

The girl frowned.

"Yeah. The man with only one eye? The one you said that was a _ducker_?"

I slightly laughed, but it sounded flat, empty.

"Not a _ducker, _a _fucker. _And don't ever say that word. Yes, him. He was the one that hurt your mommy. And he hurt a lot of other people too."

"And he hurt you too? In your foot?"

I looked my bandaged ankle and then I looked back at Katie.

"Yeah. It was him too."

"And now mommy is with daddy?"

I sighed. God, this was being the worst conversation in my life, and I was raised with two drunks, so it was a lot to say.

"Yeah. Your mommy's with your daddy now. And I'm sure they want you to smile and be happy, ok? And when you miss them the most, come running to talk with me, and we'll remember things about your mommy. We'll make sure you never forget her, ok?"

The girl nodded.

"And who would take care of me now? You and Dar? I want you and Dar."

I smiled.

"I will take care of you. And Daryl too, I'm sure." I wasn't so sure of that.

"So now Dar is my uncle?"

I rolled my eyes.

"You know what? Ask him tomorrow."

"Is he mad at you? I heard Carol saying he should forgive you."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, the conversation was moving to a strange level and I didn't know exactly what to say.

"I said some bad things to Daryl and he got angry, yes."

"You're not in love anymore?" Katie said, incorporating, like if that was worst than her dead mom.

"I'm not saying that. You remember that time you broke a glass in the kitchen? In your house on Woodbury?"

The girl opened her eyes wider.

"Yes. I tried to pick them up with the hands and mommy got very, very angry."

I nodded.

"Exactly. But after a while, she went to you and explained you that you had done something wrong, and after that she wasn't angry anymore."

"So Dar will explain you what you did wrong?"

I smiled.

"Not exactly, sweetie. I will go to Daryl and explain him what I did wrong, and I'll let him know that I'm sorry. And I hope he won't be angry anymore."

The girl nodded, yawning.

"I'm sure Dar will forgive you, auntie. He loves you very, very much."

I chuckled, surprised.

"Why you say that?"

The girl closed her eyes for a second, but then she opened them again.

"Mommy and Carol talked about it. Carol said that she never saw Daryl so happy. And they said that Daryl and you were in love and you didn't know it yet. Do you know it now, auntie?"

I opened my mouth but nothing came out of it. Love? I wasn't sure. Did Carol say that? Really? It was possible that Daryl was in love with me? _I don't think so, _my internal voice said, _after what you said to him. _I grimaced.

"It's time to sleep, sweetie. C'mon, I'll tuck you."

She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Can you sing something to me?"

I doubted for a moment and then I began singing _Nightwing, _from Black Sabbath. I made a mental note to ask Carol or Rick to teach me some lullaby, if I was gonna take care of a little girl from now on.

* * *

_**AN: **__Thanks to all of the people reading this! Review for any question!_


	12. Chapter 12: Happy Birthday (part III)

**CHAPTER XII: HAPPY BIRTHDAY (III)**

I went out the prison and lit a cigarette. I sighed as I took off a puff of smoke. Katie had finally fallen asleep, after at least ten rock hits (the girl liked Led Zeppelin, who would have thought it) and a lot of cuddling. I stayed beside her for a long while till I was sure she wasn't going to wake up, and I went to have a really quick shower. Now, I needed some fresh air. It was dark night by that time and I looked to the starless sky among me. Nobody was making guard that night. I didn't know if it was because nobody could stand being alone that night, if it was for respect, or if it was for simply tiredness, but the patio was lonely and silent.

I heard the crackle of a fire and I looked around, surprised. I saw the illumination of flames coming out the backyard and I went that way, to see who had made a bonfire that night. When I turned the corner, I wasn't fully surprised that the man sat against the wall, with a cigarette in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other, was Daryl. I swallowed hard, preparing myself.

"Hey." I said with a low voice. He looked at me with his eyebrows frowned and then he looked to the fire again. "Daryl…"

"What the hell ya want now?"

I sat down beside him and he tried to get up, but I grabbed his arm, pulling him down.

"I'm so, so sorry about what I said this afternoon. I didn't mean it, and you know it."

He looked at me with anger and I maintained his look, though internally I wanted to cry.

"It seemed that ya meant it." He muttered.

I sighed.

"I didn't. I promise, Daryl. Please…"

"I'll leave ya alone if that's what ya want." He finally said, his voice harsh and hurt.

I couldn't contain a tear for falling from my eye as I got closer to him, straddling my legs at both sides of his body, sitting on the top of him to immobilize him. He turned his face to a side, but I catch it between my hands to make him look at me.

"I don't want that. In fact, it would be a really big crap if you walk away from me." I said, tears rolling down my cheeks. "I was scared and mad and I acted like a bitch. I'm begging you to forgive me."

My heart stopped beating. God, I needed him to forget the stupid words I said to him. Without him, I didn't know what I would do, especially now that everything was so messed up. Even more messed up, I mean. His blue eyes were dark and I couldn't decode what he was thinking. If he moved me away and said he didn't wanted anything else with me… I would be done. The reality hit me so hard it hurt when I realized the depth of what I felt for him. Fortunately, he didn't push me away. Instead, he frowned his eyebrows and raised a hand to my face, caressing the tears away with his thumb.

"Don't beg me. Ok."

I sank my face in his neck as he surrounded my back with his arms, pressing me harder against him. He moved his face till it reached my hair and inhaled deeply, as if he had missed the aroma. I smiled a little at that thought, but I was weeping against his collarbone.

"Ya know I care 'bout ya, right?" Daryl's voice said against my hair, and it was like the words had left his mouth against his will.

"I like to think that, yeah." I said.

"I ain't playin' any boyfriend shit with ya."

I chuckled a little despite the tears.

"I know, Daryl."

I moved my head up till I reached his lips, and I pressed mines against his softly. After a second, he kissed me back, grabbing strongly my waist.

"Ya felt better after killin' some walkers?" He said. I shrugged, sighing.

"Well, yes and no. I guess I needed to free tension. This is the worst birthday ever."

Daryl opened his mouth.

"Crap, I almost forgot today's your birthday." He said, as he handed me the bottle of Jack Daniels. I took a long drink, the liquid ran down my throat making it burn and making me feel a little better.

"Ah…" I said, returning the bottle to him. "There's one thing I can't get out my mind."

Daryl took a drink and he raised his eyebrows: "What's it?"

"This morning Lena told me she had to say something to me. I guess I'll never know what it was."

I grabbed the bottle and drunk a couple of times more.

"Stop it, woman. Ya can't do anythin' 'bout it. Stop torturing yourself like this."

I sighed and I kissed him softly, but as soon as my fingers started running through his hair, I opened my mouth hungry for more.

He frowned while we were kissing and separated his lips from mine. He put his hands on the sides of my face and made me look at him.

"Hey, babe? Did I say somethin'…?"

I shook my head.

"No… it's just…" I sighed. "Don't get killed, ok? I can't lose you. Don't get killed."

He put his forehead against mine.

"I don't have any plans to die. I'll always fight to keep living. Ya never gonna get rid of me."

I smiled at his words. That was the sweetest thing nobody had said to me in my whole life.

"You promise?"

He smiled.

"Neither of us' gonna die. I'll take care of that. I'll take care of ya."

I frowned.

"I've never needed anyone to take care of me. I do it myself."

He gave me a short kiss.

"I know. And ya still don't need it. But I'll do it anyway. I'm already doin' it."

I smiled.

"I know. And I will take care of you too."

He smiled.

"I'm the man, don't I? I'll be the one to care."

I shook my head.

"Huh-huh. But you're _my_ man, so… you'll have to deal with it."

He laughed.

"Any other woman would've liked to hear that her man would protect her. But not ya."

I smiled.

"What can I tell you, Dixon? I've always been different."

"I already knew that."

"Then why do you surprise?"

"'Cause sometimes I forget."

"Don't." I said, grabbing his hair and pulling his face to mine, kissing his lips.

After a minute, his hands started making their way up beneath my shirt, and I felt his fingers running through my skin, up and down, strongly. I moaned when he moved one hand and slowly caressed the bottom of my breast.

He pulled me with his body until he was on top of me, laying on the ground.

"We should stop." I said.

"Why?" He mumbled as his lips started moving down my neck, between my breasts, my belly… I gasped.

"Somebody can see us. This isn't the best day, Daryl."

He unbuttoned my shorts and took them off, as I closed my eyes to clear my mind. Somehow, I thought this was disrespectful.

"Nobody'll see us. It's your birthday. My present went to shit. Let me at least give ya a birthday orgasm."

All my body shook when I heard the word "orgasm" leaving his lips. I rubbed my face with my hands as he waited kneeled between my open legs, his shirt half unbuttoned, and the excitement was visible beneath his jeans. I moaned, knowing that I couldn't resist him.

"Ok. I accept the birthday orgasm."

He slid down his head till his facial hair tickled in the internal part of my thigh.

"I'm glad to hear that." He said, as his lips caressed my skin, making their way down.

Soon, I found myself panting for air as all my body combusted, his lips moving without mercy against me. I recognize this was the best way to keep my mind busy or better said, to stop my mind to think at all. I could only feel his lips, his tongue and his hands, nothing else, and my brain was disconnected from the world. He had no compassion; he was pressing his mouth so strong against my core I thought I may have bruises the day after. If someone can get bruises in her vagina… is that even possible? _His mouth is driving you totally mad, _my internal voice said, _you're delusional. _Maybe I was, because the sensation was too good to be true. I grabbed his hair strongly, pulling his face closer to me, though it wasn't possible.

"Oh… there… right there…" I mumbled, closing my eyes.

He moaned at my words and so did I, raising a hand and putting my fingers inside my mouth, biting them to avoid the scream of pleasure that was fighting to get out my mouth. I moved my hips in circles, unable to control it, and he received the movement with an even more enthusiastic suck with his lips.

"Ooooooooh… Fuck." I groaned lowly.

When I was on the edge, I felt his fingers sliding inside of me and I exploded with exaggerated convulsions.

His mouth abandoned my now swelled up most sensitive parts and went up, slowly, kissing and licking every single part of my skin in his way up. He was taking his time as I tried to catch my breath again, all my body palpitating, hot and sweaty. The heat I felt in the nape of my head was pleasant and relaxing. My arms rested at my sides, completely numb.

_He totally knows how to move his tongue, _I thought to myself, feeling his lips on my breasts. He went up and his mouth reached mine, and I kissed him with gratitude.

"Best. Present. Ever." I said between kiss and kiss.

"Want another one?" He said, rubbing the bulge of his jeans against me.

"Aaahh…" I cried, feeling it too much strongly, after the previous orgasm. Before I could be able to talk, he unbuttoned his jeans and his flesh touched my flesh.

"Good Lord…" I said, closing my eyes tightly as he slid inside of me with a groan and a smirk.

* * *

Daryl was passing his fingertips in an absentminded way for my bare belly. We were laying on the floor half naked with the fire glowing beside us, illuminating our shiny skin. I looked at his face. He seemed so calmed, so relaxed. His eyes were sleepy, and it looked so good in him I had to smile. He was laying face down, without his shirt, by my side. It was the first time he was exposing his scars so clearly to me. I saw he had some on the chest too, but the ones in the back were bigger and clearer. I sighed, looking at his face, while he kept his eyes fixed on my stomach.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked, putting my hands beneath my head. He looked up, at my face and smiled a little, shrugging.

"How did ya make that?" Daryl asked, looking at the scars on my belly. I had four big scars marked on my skin and some smaller ones scattered all around my stomach and my breasts. Some of them from my childhood, some others from the fighting for survive the walkers, or the humans. I half smiled.

"Let's make a deal." I said. "Scar for scar. I tell you mine, you tell me yours."

Daryl pressed his lips and thought about it for a minute, and then, he nodded. My heart jumped and I smiled.

"Ok, well…" I said, looking at my belly and pointing one scar just beneath my right breast. "This one's the oldest. My dad made it to me one night, when I was ten. He was drunk, like always, and he pushed me against a glass table. It bled so much I thought I was going to bleed to death. But I didn't." I sighed. "The doctor stitched me and sent me back home. The day after that, I was back on school. Your turn."

Daryl blinked a couple of times as he leaned on his elbows. I turned a little to him and I touched one big scar that practically crossed is back. "That one."

"My father made that. We were huntin' one day, I was twelve. Merle was in juvie again and we were on the woods. We saw a deer and my father told me to shoot him, and I was so scared to miss it, that I missed it. He was so angry…" Daryl shook his head. "I still remember screamin' while he made me the cut with the huntin' knife in a fit of rage. '_And ya better remember this, kid' _he said '_Ya don't deserve any better, piece of trash.'"_

I swallowed hardly and I grabbed his arm, attracting him to me. I incorporated a little till I reached his scar with my lips. I kissed it with my eyes closed. He turned and embraced me as I sighed.

"God, that's horrible, Daryl. No offense, but your dad was an asshole."

Daryl chuckled.

"Oh yeah, he was. I have more scars caused to his beatings than for the time spent in the woods, or the zombie shit." Daryl took a deep breath. "Merle looked a lot like him some times. He was always angry at me; it was like nothin' I did was good enough. I never was smart enough, quick enough, brave enough. I think Rick's the first person that made me feel… dunno… _useful." _He said, the words coming out his mouth without anything to stop them, I could almost taste the catharsis that was going on inside him. "Merle tried to protect me, though. With my father, I mean. He always stuck for me when my father took off his belt, ready to hit. But when Merle was away, when he was in juvie, or in jail or somewhere with some girl, I was alone with my father, and I was never brave enough to face him."

I cleared my throat.

"And what happened to your mom?" I asked, moving my head up to look at his face, resting my chin on his chest.

"She died in a fire. She used to smoke in bed, ya know."

I nodded.

"And your dad always treated you like that? Even when you were little?"

"Hell yeah. I don't remember, but Merle told me that once, when I was six, my dad slapped me so hard my ear bled. Merle always said that it was a miracle that I've such a good ear."

I breathed slowly, swallowing the information.

"I can't understand it." I whispered. Daryl raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"How you are so… so _you, _after all that shit you'd gone through."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess that's why I'm so _me. _Your childhood was a crap too, and ya're really… happy. I don't know, ya're always laughin' and smilin', sometimes I think ya're the opposite of me."

I sighed and stretched my neck till I reached his lips, and I kissed him softly.

"We're the opposite and the same, Daryl, and all at the same time. We just express ourselves in a different way, but we see the world identical."

Daryl chewed his lip, looking at the sky. "What?" I asked, knowing that something was going on in his mind.

"If I tell ya one thing ya won't laugh? Ya won't say I'm nuts?" He asked, putting a strand of my hair behind my ear tenderly. I smiled.

"Of course not. Shoot, Dixon."

Daryl talked slowly, with a husky voice. "Sometimes I think that I was born to this kind of life. That I'm more useful, more productive, now that the world's gone to hell. That… well, that this is the life I had to live, from the very beginning."

I sighed, frowning. I couldn't believe what he just said… because it was the same thing I had thought about hundreds of times.

"Like…" I said. "The life I lived before was a daydream, something useless and worthless… and now, this is the reality. The thing I was made for."

Daryl and I looked at each other's eyes, blue meeting green with a glow. He surrounded the nape of my neck with his big hand and pushed my head to his mouth, kissing me with all his willpower, his eyebrows frowned, a little grumble going out his throat. I allowed myself to forget about everything while he was kissing me, sighing against his mouth while our tongues met each other's.

When he finally left my lips, I catch my breath and pulled myself away from him, laying by his side on the floor. I reached for the bottle of whiskey and took a long drink, and then I cleared my throat.

"Daryl… what happened with your daddy? With the walkers?"

Daryl shrugged.

"He got bit. I went to his house when Merle and I decided we were goin' to Atlanta, and we found him turned into a biter. I shot an arrow at his forehead."

I bit my lip and the darkest confession that would ever leave my mouth, came out my lips.

"I wish I could've done that with my dad. That I could've seen the walkers eating that motherfucker."

Daryl cocked his head and embraced me once again; I sank my head in his bare chest.

"I'm sure he's dead, woman." He said. "That kind of ne'er-do-well guys died the first ones."

I nodded, thinking that I had never felt so connected to someone that in that precise moment with Daryl Dixon.

* * *

_**AN: **__This chapter is really important to me, so I hope you like it. I know (as my mum told me ;)) that the day they all had wasn't exactly the best day for Daryl and Alicia to have sex, and maybe some of you think that is out of place. Before anyone can complain, I wanna explain my reasons: I think that in the most difficult times is when people need to be together, united, and they're all living a really hard experience. They can't distract themselves with anything else than their friends or, in this case, their couple. Actually, it's the most normal thing to do when you're sad and you need reassurance. In addition, in this case (zombie apocalypse, I mean) I think that the human touch would be absolutely necessary, and I think it would be more common that it is in the TV show... Well, imagine yourselves in that situation, what would you do? That's all I wanted to say about this subject, I hope you agree with me. _

_**AN2**__: I want to say THANK YOU to the Guest who sent the review saying that she loves this story and the relationship between Daryl and Alicia, I really appreciate it. I also changed the quotation marks of the first two chapters. See, in my country we use dashes for mark the dialogues and I think I messed up. Sorry for the mistake. I received a review after the second chapter telling me this, and I changed it from the third chapter onwards, but I forgot to rewrite the first two ones. My apologies. Thank you for reading!_


	13. Chapter 13: Survival Skills

**_AN: _**_Sorry, it took me more time than I thought!_

* * *

**CHAPTER XIII: SURVIVAL SKILLS **

_"Alicia, have you ever thought in caring about someone else than _you?_" Susie said, looking at me with her eyebrows frowned. I sighed as I took another drag. My older sister, always trying to make me feel bad about myself. Her little son, Owen, was walking around my apartment, his daddy Kevin following him closely. I looked at my sister's brown eyes. We were sisters, but we couldn't be more different; she had blonde, curly hair, over her shoulders, my hair was black and straight, her eyes were brown; mines, green. She had a little mouth with thin lips, I was the entire contrary. She was really skinny, I was all curves. I rolled my eyes. _

_"I can't see why I have to, sis." I said, taking off a puff of smoke. "What do you want me to do? To adopt a puppy?"_

_Kevin chuckled as he catch Owen and raised him by his armpits, the kid screamed of joy. I smiled. _

_"I don't know, Alicia, maybe to take life a little more seriously. Study something; find what you want to do in your life." She said, sounding exasperated. I laughed._

_"This is what I want to do in life. Living."_

_"Is it? Just smoking, drinking and…" she put her hands at the sides of Owen's head, covering his ears. "Fucking?"_

_"It sounds good to me." I said, Kevin chuckled again. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "It sounds good to you too, right, Kevin?"_

_The guy cleared his throat and looked at my sister. _

_"Of course not." He said. "Having a family is the better thing in the world, and…"_

_"For fuck's sake, I'm twenty!" I said, grabbing Owen and sitting him on my lap. "I'm just having fun; I don't think that's so bad."_

_"The problem is that you have too much fun." Susie said. "You will get yourself in trouble." _

_I swallowed and got closer to my sister, looking at her face._

_"I can deal with trouble." I whispered, and then I looked at Owen. "You like your auntie, right, kiddo? You don't think your auntie's just a slut, right?"_

_The kid denied with his head and smiled at me._

_"I love auntie." He said, and I kissed his cheek right before my sister took him away._

_"This is what I'm talking about. Everything is a big, fucking joke to you." She looked at Kevin and he got up, ready to go. "Call me when you decide to put your life straight. You can come live with us when that happens."_

_Without any more word, they left my apartment, and I waved goodbye at Owen, who was looking at me over his mom shoulder. I sighed._

_"It seems that a new disease is starting to run in our country." The news's presenter said from the TV. "We still don't know the details, but it seems that dead bodies are starting to…" I turned off the TV._

_"Fuck that shit." I said. "I'm gonna get motherfucking drunk again."_

* * *

I opened my eyes with the feeling of a little hand resting on my cheek. I saw Katie asleep in front of me and it took a second to me to realize of where I was, what had happened. When I finally reacted, I felt the weight of the world falling on my shoulders and I incorporated so quick I almost fell off of the bed.

"Oh my God." I said. "Oh my God."

I stood up and look at the little girl. A little, beautiful three years old girl that was sleeping peacefully on my bed. She had no daddy, no mommy, no family in the world. Her best friend was dead. All Katie knew in her whole life was this kind of crap. When I got to Woodbury she was two, in fact, she turned three in the prison. She was so little and so defenseless… now, I was all she had. I breathed hard and went out the cell. I needed Daryl. Urgently.

When I went to sleep the night before, we said goodbye in front of my cell and he went away. But we both knew something had changed in our relationship. After our first discussion, we told each other some things we hadn't told before to anyone, not our family or anybody. The bond that united us was now tighter, and we could feel it. I could feel it, and I was sure the same thing was happening to him. It was wonderful and scary at the same time, but like the good kind of fear. Neither of us was that kind of warm and fuzzy people, the kind of persons that talk about how they feel, what they expect of the other one. But we basically promised each other to stand together no matter what, and now I needed him to keep that promise, to help me with this. My whole body froze when I saw him; he was on the yard, putting on his poncho, with a lot of people around him. I ran to them with some trouble, my ankle was still aching after the shot.

"Hey! Hey!" I shouted. "What's going on?"

Rick put his gun on his belt and looked at me.

"Daryl told us about the camp you found. We're going to see if they're still there."

I frowned. "Umm… maybe you should've done that yesterday…?"

"There were other things to do." Rick answered. "And we think Governor and his men don't know you've seen their camp."

"I'm gonna kill that motherfucker." Daryl said, and I shook my head.

"Wait, wait. Who of you are going in there?"

"Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Andrea, Michonne, Tyreese and myself." Rick answered. I sighed.

"Ok, give me a minute and I'll get ready."

"No." Rick said. "You're staying." I frowned.

"Um… I know I call you _Boss _but it's more a joke than a real thing, Rick."

Rick grabbed my arm and moved me away from the others, Daryl came with us.

"Alicia, I need you to stay here and take care of everything while we're gone."

I opened my eyes wider, starting to panic.

"What the _fuck,_ Boss?" I whispered furiously. "Please, tell me you're kidding me."

Rick pressed his lips.

"I'm afraid I'm not. Look, I can only trust you to do this."

"What? And Hershel? And Carol? Or… I don't know, anybody other than me?"

Rick sighed; Daryl was chewing his lip looking at us.

"I've already talked to Carol, and she agreed at my choice, and so does Hershel." Rick said. "You're a leader, Alicia, you proved it yesterday, when you talked to everybody."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. And you're hurt; you can't come with us anyway. And you have to take care of Katie."

I looked at his blue eyes; he was looking at me so trustfully I wanted to scream.

"I ran away from her when I woke up by her side this morning."

Rick put his hands on my shoulders.

"Look, you have become that child's tutor from one day to another. It's normal to freak out, no one will blame you. But not now. All of us will help you to take care of her, but now it's your duty, and not just Katie." He looked deeply into my eyes. "But Carl, and Judith and all the kids. They're scared, and you give them security. I need you to stay here and carry on. I trust you to keep my children safe."

I lay my head down till I rested my forehead on his chest, he embraced me softly.

"I can't do it. I've never taken care of anybody."

"Yeah, ya've." Daryl said. "Ya took care of that lil' girl yesterday, ya made her sleep and talked her 'bout her mama, ya made her feel safe after probably the worst day of her life."

"He's right." Rick said. "Alicia, look at me." I obeyed, meeting his gaze. "You're the woman I need right now. Just try and do what you think better. Carol is here too. You're not alone."

I cleared my throat and sighed deeply. Then, I nodded.

"Ok, Rick. I'll take care of everything."

Rick smiled and squeezed my shoulders a bit before he let me go.

"We will come back, but if we don't…"

"What you mean _if you don't?_" I said, holding my breath.

"Just listen. If we don't come back, don't go searching for us. Stay here and keep this place safe, ok? Don't leave the prison if it's not a need. You understand?"

I looked at Rick and then at Daryl, who was staring at me as if he was waiting something.

"I get it." I said. "But come back."

Rick nodded and we went back with the others. I hugged Maggie and Glenn and gave a nod to Tyreese.

"Be careful out there, ladies." I said, looking at Andrea and Michonne. "I know you don't need it, but… good luck."

"Thank you." Andrea said, she sighed and looked at the sky before looking back at me. "Rick told us you're in charge while we're gone."

I nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, I'm afraid that's true. And I thought he was smart."

Andrea chuckled a little.

"Well… good luck to you too."

I smiled at the blonde woman.

"I appreciate it, Andrea."

She nodded and turned back, Michonne looked at me raising and eyebrow.

"That sounded like a goodbye." She said. "But I'll see you later."

I smiled.

"I count on that."

Michonne smiled a little and she turned away, meeting Rick, who was starting to organize everybody in the cars.

"Woman." A voice said behind me. I smiled slightly and turned around to face Daryl.

"Man." I said. I looked at his eyes and then I sighed. "Remember what I told you yesterday?"

He half smiled.

"Ya said a lot of things yesterday." I chuckled.

"And so did you. But I'm talking about the _please don't get killed _stuff. Remember?" I said. He surrounded my waist with his arms and held me tight against his body; I surrounded his neck with shaky arms. God, I was more scared than in my whole life.

"I'll come back. I said ya won't get rid of me." He mumbled beside my ear.

"You better come back, Dixon." I said. "Cause if you die, I'll kill you."

He smiled and kissed me fiercely, I kissed him back with a weak moan going off my throat. When we separated, I had to swallow hardly to keep myself in one piece.

"See ya later." He said, giving me a quick kiss in the forehead. I nodded.

I looked at all the others, most of them had their eyebrows raised in a perplexed face, and it took some seconds to me to realize it was for our kiss. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, y'all know we're together, don't dissimulate." I said, giving some steps back to let Tyreese enter the truck to that part of the yard. Maggie laughed and then, one by one they entered at their vehicles and went out of the prison as a shiver ran through my body. Daryl didn't look back and I was thankful for it. With a sigh, I turned my back to the fence and walked to the prison.

* * *

It only had passed a couple of hours and I already wanted to cry. I gave weapons to all the adult people. Having a gun near to you could give a feeling of safety that nothing else can provide. But anyhow, the pressure of everybody coming at you with their doubts, looking for advice, for comfort, Katie following me all around, it was too much. I tried to keep everybody occupied doing something to avoid them to think about the day before, but soon, I realized it wasn't possible.

"Where do we dry the clothes if we can't get out?"

"I'm a little claustrophobic, actually. I will need to get out sometimes."

"I don't know how to handle this. I've never shoot a weapon."

"Who will teach the kids now?"

"When will Rick come back?"

"Oh, my God. What will we do if they don't come back?"

"Stop it!" I yelled, making everybody shut up. I took a deep breath, calming myself down. _Act like Rick, try it. _"Look, we'll take care of everything when the time comes. For now, the kids have holidays today. School is closed. Um… we'll teach you how to shoot, but if Governor comes running at you with a knife, just pull the trigger. We'll dry the clothes inside the prison, choose one cell and hang a string there. Nobody will leave the prison today, so control your claustrophobia the best you can. I don't know when they'll come back, but they _will _come back, be sure as fuck of that. Anything else?"

Nobody said anything, so I clapped my hands to make them move, and everybody started their tasks. I heard someone chuckling close to me and I turned to see Carol with little Jeremy in her arms and a little smile on her face.

"Caroline, don't mock me right now." I said, pointing her with my finger. She widened her smile.

"I'm not. It's just that your… way to be on charge is really different than Rick's."

I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, you think? And with 'different' you mean 'worse than anything you've ever seen', right?"

Carol shook her head.

"No. Relax, Alicia. It will be only today."

I nodded.

"Ok. How are the babies?"

Carol smiled.

"Fine. Judith is sleeping. Jeremy just ate. Lisa is with her mommy, Nora."

I nodded.

"Alright. How are they? After what happened to Lilly…"

I saw how Carol's face contortioned with sadness. Oh fuck. Why did I always forget about Sophia?

"Well, they're trying to keep going."

"Carol, I'm sorry, I'm an asshole, I'm…"

"Don't worry. It's normal that you forget it. You never met her."

"Daryl told me about her once."

Carol raised her eyebrows.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He told me she was the sweetest kid ever."

Carol smiled a little, and the she cleared her throat.

"Maybe you should go and get some rest. Smoke a cigarette. You deserve five minutes."

"You think?"

"Sure. Everybody's doing something. I'll take care if someone wants something."

I hugged her softly trying not to crush Jeremy between us and I lit a cigarette while I walked to the cafeteria. I sit on one table and let my feet hang on the air, letting my eyes to get lost looking at the floor.

How I ended like this? It wasn't much long ago that I was alone in the woods of Georgia, making little expeditions to little towns to get food and water, sleeping in abandoned houses or in the soft floor of the forest. It wasn't much long ago that I was cursing the day that car found me and took me to Woodbury, my personal prison. It wasn't that much ago that I was locked on a cellar, crying for Merle and for myself. It wasn't that much ago that Rick, Glenn and Daryl opened the door of the cellar, blinding me with the sunlight. Rick reassured me with kind words and he and Glenn took me by my arms to help me out of there. It wasn't that much ago that I was absolutely alone in this world. And now? Now I was taking care of three dozens of people while my heart was aching for the ones that were away. It wasn't just for Daryl. Of course, he was the one I needed the most to be with me, but Maggie was the most similar thing to a best friend I've ever had. And Glenn too. And Rick was like a mix of a father, a brother and a friend to me. I needed all of them. How I ended like this?

"Listen, Mike, I'm sick of this crap."

I turned my head when I heard those words coming out the kitchen as a furious whisper. I could recognize Nora's voice. That couple had just lost her little girl, and they were passing through the most difficult moment that someone can imagine. But I've always been a gossip, so I got closer walking tiptoed, without making any noise.

"But that's what we have to do. We knew things like this could happen." He answered.

"I didn't! She was our daughter, Michael. _Our daughter. _We can't replace her. And people in here are so nice…"

"I don't give a fuck of how nice they are, you understand?"

"But other kids died!"

"So?"

I felt a hand on my back and I jumped, startled. I turned back with a hand on my chest, trying to keep my heart inside it.

"Sorry." Carl said, and the voices inside the kitchen stopped talking.

"It's ok, kiddo." I said, putting my hand over his sheriff hat. "How can I help you?"

Carl was really serious and I narrowed my eyes, starting to worry.

"Beth is outside. She said she was going to get out."

I gasped as I started running with Carl behind me.

"Why the fucking fuck would she do that?" I yelled over my shoulder.

"I think she wants to die!" The kid shouted back.

"She wants _what_?" I said, opening the prison's principal door and getting to the yard.

"She tried it once!" The kid said.

I cursed under my breath while I saw Beth next to the railing. I ran as fast as I could, and I was really fast. I got to her just when she was opening and I took her by her arm and pushed her to the floor. She fell with tears rolling down her cheeks as I closed the railing door again, pressing my teeth to control my longing to slap her dumb face.

"Are you _nuts_, Beth?" I said, turning to her. She was crying on the floor, Carl was some steps further, looking at us with a guilty look. "Why the fuck? I mean, _the fuck_, Beth?"

"I can't…" She sobbed. "I thought I could, but I can't resist."

I bit my lower lip and kneeled beside her.

"What?"

"It's too hard…"

"Too hard?" I said. "Too hard? Living here is too hard? Tell me, Beth, did someone ever tried to rape you?"

She opened her eyes as wider as they could be and shook her head.

"No."

"Oh, so no. And someone ever tortured you?" She denied with her head. "Did somebody lock you in a dirty room?" She denied again. "Have you ever been alone since the dead rose?"

"No, never. I lived in the farm, you know that."

"Oh, yeah, I know. Then, don't fucking talk me about how hard your fucking life is." I said, grabbing her arm and forcing her to get up, dragging her to the prison. "I got no time for this shit." I mumbled.

"I'm not that strong." She cried. I turned to her once we were inside.

"That strong? You don't have to be. You just have to survive. For your daddy and your sister and for all of us, the ones who care about your fucking life."

"But there's no hope…"

"Hope died long ago, sweetie." I said, dragging her by her arm to a near cell. "All we got now is ourselves. And you know what?" I said, pushing her inside the cell and closing the door. "That's ok with me. I was never a hopeful girl, anyway. And now you can say you've been locked up. Get some sleep."

"What is happening here?" Hershel said, arriving slowly but obviously angry.

"Your suicidal daughter scared the shit out of me. But she's fine now."

"I'm not." Beth yelled.

"Shut up." I said, and I stared at Hershel. "She'll be there all day."

"We don't work like that." Sasha said near to me. "We don't punish people."

"I'm not punishing her." I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm keeping her away of my worries. With Beth here, I won't be thinking if she might be killing herself."

"Alicia, that's not…" Hershel started.

"Her blood won't be on my hands." I interrupted. "When Rick gets back, he'll take care of her. For now, is my responsibility, and I won't have her death in my conscience for the rest of my life. And I'm sure you neither want it." Hershel looked at me and he denied. "End of discussion, then."

"I'll watch her." Carl said. I raised an eyebrow at him, and then I looked at Beth.

"Can I let him watch you? Or you will play the stupid weak girl again?"

Beth stared at me and then she shook her head.

"I won't try anything. I don't know why I made that…"

"Good." I said, opening the door. "Life is too precious, honey. Don't waste it just like that." She got out the cell and I grabbed her arm. "Don't try it again. Nobody's gonna die in my watch. You get it?"

Beth nodded and Carl took her by her hand gently, guiding her to who knows where. Not that I cared.

"That was intense." Sasha said, raising her eyebrows. I smiled.

"I'm a really intense girl, you know." I said turning my back and going to find Carol. "Hershel, keep an eye on your daughter. We don't need a female Kurt Cobain around here, ok?"

The man nodded, sighing.

"It's too much for her. She is really sensitive and all those deaths…"

"Then she can write poems, but don't kill herself. How would I have looked Maggie when they come back if Beth died under my protection? She has to grow up. Look at Carl."

Hershel nodded again and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Not everybody can hold on like you, Alicia."

I frowned.

"I'm a little sick of that shit. I'm not Xena or anything like that. I just learnt to survive, like the rest of us. Weakness is not an option."

"I'll talk to her."

"Right." I said, and I went away, shaking my head.

* * *

"You think I'm too hard, Carol?" I asked, chewing the cold canned beans I was eating. We were on the yard, leaning to a wall. It was dark night by then, and I was trying to converse just to keep my mind and my mouth busy. It was that or freak out and start screaming Daryl's name all around the woods.

"What do you mean?" She asked, hugging herself under her thin jacket.

"If I'm… I don't know, unemotional? You think this life made me become cold? Inhuman?"

Carol frowned, cocking her head.

"Why are you asking that?"

"What happened with Beth today… I can't understand that kind of behavior. It disturbs me that I've worried so much about survive that I forgot how to feel mercy or empathy. I've been too harsh with the girl. She's just a teen."

"Well, she is, but she has to learn to deal with everything we go through."

"Exactly! I mean, and she still have her dad and her sister."

"Yeah, but she is such a feely girl. She was overwhelmed. She'll be fine in a couple of days. Have you ever heard about Hershel's barn?" Carol said. I chuckled.

"Unfortunately, yeah. Carl told me about it." I swallowed. Sophia was in there.

"Hershel had his wife and his son in there. When Shane… you know who was Shane?"

"Yeah, that asshole cop, right?"

"Right. Well, Shane opened the barn and killed all the walkers. After that, Beth fell in a catatonic state. And then she tried to cut her veins. We thought she wouldn't try it again."

I sighed.

"That's what I was talking about. Thinking that walkers are just sick people is a twisted way to make yourself weaker. I can't understand it. And it worries me."

"You are tough, there's no doubt about it." Carol said. "But you're sweet and kind and you worry about all of us. There's a lot of love inside you, Alicia. For Katie, for Maggie, for Rick, for me. And for Hershel too, and for Carl and the baby. And you have a huge quantity of love for Daryl. An emotionless woman can't feel that amount of emotions, don't you think?"

I swallowed and looked at the distance; the dark woods that surrounded the prison were quiet.

"It's scary." I whispered.

"What is?" Carol said.

"Love. I'm frightened of it. I've never felt it before. The need I have for him…" I let my head rest on the top of my knees, while I hugged my legs. Carol caressed my back with her gentle hand and I heard her giggle.

"That's how you have to feel. And believe me; Daryl is more scared than you of what he feels." Carol said.

"I doubt that." I said, raising my head and looking away, wondering where he was, if he was ok and how could I deal with my feelings for him.


	14. Chapter 14: The Huntsman

**CHAPTER XIV: THE HUNTSMAN **

I was walking up and down the yard trying to calm myself down. I hadn't sleep in the whole night, waiting for Daryl and the rest to come back to the prison. Now, the sun was rising and I couldn't imagine one single reason that could explain why they weren't there by that moment.

When I heard the rumble of a bike, all my body shook, reacting to that familiar sound. I ran to the door and grabbed the railing with my fingers, looking over the shoulder of a walker. I could hear the motor, but I couldn't see anything yet. _Please, please, they must be fine, tell me they're all safe and fine… _I swallowed hard when I saw the bike appear, Daryl driving it, with the rest of the cars right behind him.

"Is it them?" Hershel asked from across the yard and I nodded at him, feeling a knot in my throat. The doctor started walking to me, but before he arrived, I was opening the railing's door to let everybody in. I took a deep breath as I counted all the faces: Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Glenn… all of them were there. They parked the vehicles in the middle of the yard and I ran to Daryl, who was taking off his poncho. I jumped at him, surrounding his neck with my arms and his waist with my legs, feeling his body under mine. He was there. In one piece. He was alive.

"Woman…" He whispered, surrounding my body with his strong arms. "This is what I call 'a good welcome', right?"

I giggled and squeezed him harder, sighing deeply. He smelt of sweat, trees and blood. I let him go and my feet touched the ground again, I put my hands at the sides of his face, examining him. His sleeveless shirt was stained of blood.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" I said, anxiously. He half smiled.

"Nah, I'm good." He said, taking my hands and squeezing them gently. "Blood's not mine."

I opened my eyes wider.

"Governor's?" I whispered, but he denied with his head.

"Is mine." Michonne said, and I turned my back to see her getting out the truck, helped by Andrea and Glenn. She had a bloody wound on her thigh.

"Oh, shit, are you alright? All of you?"

"More or less." Rick answered, helping Maggie to get down the car. She had a gunshot in her thin arm, covered with a dirty bandage. I got closer to them and surrounded Maggie's waist with my arm, helping her to walk to the infirmary. I could tell she had lost a lot of blood, she was sweaty and pale. "They were expecting us. We eliminated three of them, so I guess it didn't go bad after all."

"What happened?" I said under Maggie's healthy arm.

"We arrived at their camp and it was empty." Daryl explained. "But we found their truck. After some minutes following their tracks in the dirt, the shots started. The fuckers were hidin' behind the trees."

"We should be happy, we're all alive." Maggie said.

"You won't be so happy if the wound infects." I said. "Your father has to clean it. And Michonne's."

"We'll be fine." Michonne answered. "Our injuries are superficial."

I sighed.

"And you're ok, Tyreese? It seems that your foot is aching again." I said, looking at the tall man.

"My ankle is bothering me. I guess it didn't heal well, but I'm ok." He answered, and I nodded. It wasn't so bad after all, especially if we count with all of them waiting for us… I sighed, feeling the relieve running through my body.

"Ya look tired, babe." Daryl said to me when we left Maggie and Michonne in the infirmary, waiting for Hershel to arrive. I smiled at his tone and his words and I sank my face in his chest, he held me gently.

"I hadn't sleep in the whole night, but neither did you, so… I'm ok." I said, feeling so safe and protected in his arms that I couldn't help to sigh. I heard someone clearing her throat and I turned back to Maggie, who was smiling despite her tiredness and her injury.

"I found something in Daryl's truck, Alicia." She said, taking from her back pocket something similar to a magazine. I frowned, but then I gasped.

"Oh, hell, I totally forgot this." I said, getting closer to her and grabbing the wedding dresses catalogue. "I took it for you the day I went shopping with Daryl. I guess it's a little bit stupid now." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Why did you take it?" She asked, cocking her head.

"Well, I thought you could pick up one dress and I could go there one day and steal it for you."

"It's not stealing if there's no one to pay at." Michonne said, inclining a little to us and eying the catalogue. Maggie looked at me, her eyes were wet.

"Would you do that? Risking your life? For bringing me a dress? For me?" She said, her blue eyes looked concerned. I looked at Daryl, who was smiling, and then at Maggie again.

"Wow, oh, so many questions… Ummm… I guess… Yes, maybe, yes and yes." I said, without knowing exactly if it seemed good to her or stupid.

"Oh, Ali!" She said, raising her good arm and surrounding my shoulders with it, bringing me closer to her and hugging me awkwardly. "That's so sweet! You're so sweet!"

I looked at Michonne from the eye's corner; she was trying not to smile, and obviously failing. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, thanks? Does it seem good to you?"

Maggie laughed at my ear.

"Sure, but I don't want you to risk your life for a dress. Although it would be awesome to have a wedding dress…"

"We need to go searchin' for more food, winter and babies clothes and things like that." Daryl said. "I thought sayin' to ya to go tomorrow, Alicia."

I separated from Maggie and frowned my eyebrows to Daryl.

"And what happens with Governor and his men?"

"He ran away." Michonne said. "The coward retired. God knows where he might be."

"Mi ankle's still aching, and that zone was infested of walkers." I reasoned. Daryl shrugged.

"Well, I though we should go to the other side of the town, but we can go to the weddin' dresses shop in our way back, if ya wanna. I don't think it would be dangerous."

"It would be better that you don't go alone." Maggie said. "Maybe Andrea, or Rick…"

"Rick has to stay here and take care of his children the next days." I said. "And I prefer that Andrea stays here. I feel safer just with Daryl. No offense." I said, looking at Michonne. The woman raised her hands in a sign of comprehension.

"Hey, we all have our instincts."

"It would be better if we wait three or four days, Daryl. It's ok?" I said. Daryl shrugged again.

"Sure. Don't care, if it'll make ya feel better."

I smile widely and took his hand.

"Now explain me everything that happened in there. Detailed."

* * *

"Shut up." Daryl said, and an arrow went through the walker's head, making it fell to the floor. I raised from the floor and looked around, with my eyebrows frowned. I sighed and put the bow down.

"Was it alone?" I whispered, looking all around.

"It seems so." Daryl shrugged, taking his arrow off the walker's head.

"Was it a lonely wolf, or something?" I joked, starting my way to the shop again. I looked at both sides of the street. It was deserted. It was the only walker we had found in our entire journey, and it was, at least, strange.

"Maybe it got lost." Daryl said. "Dunno. But I think we're alone now."

I narrowed my eyes, looking at the end for the street. I cocked my head.

"Daryl, is that a hotel?" I asked, pointing at the big, white building. Daryl got closer.

"Yeah. Ya think it'll be occupied by biters?"

I shrugged.

"Let's take a look." I said. "We already have a lot of supplies; a little delay won't be really dangerous."

Daryl nodded.

"We can find a damn treasure in there." He said. "If nobody had entered yet, it'll be a lot of food, and bottles of water."

"And alcohol." I said, winking an eye. "And soft, clean beds."

Daryl laughed as we got closer the hotel.

"I can't remember the last time I slept in a comfy bed. The prison's ones suck."

I chuckled.

"Yeah. Maybe we can spend the night here? We got at least three hours of way back to the truck, plus two ours of trip. And we have to stop in the town to take the dress for Maggie. Don't you think this would be the smartest option?"

"Just if it's secure. We must investigate the whole damn place to make sure."

The doors of the hotel where locked with big, heavy chains. I frowned.

"Why would somebody do that?" I asked. Daryl grabbed the chains to take a look at them.

"People did this when they thought the situation was temporary, to prevent people to steal their business. I guess nobody got inside here in all this time."

I raised my eyebrows.

"This is like a ghost town. No walkers, no animals, no people. It's weird."

Daryl cleared his throat.

"I think this was invaded once. The most part of the windows' buildings are broken. But I guess it was too difficult to enter here for them."

I looked around. Yeah, the windows had bars, and the door was well closed. I pointed a window above us.

"In there. I can climb up the windows to get to that one, the one with no bars."

Daryl looked up. The windows of the third floor and above were unprotected. Daryl frowned.

"Nah, let's keep going. It's too dangerous."

I rolled my eyes.

"C'mon, Dixon. We won't have an opportunity like this one. I can do it. Once I get inside, I'll look for some pliers to break the chains and let you in. It'd be easy."

Daryl bit his lip, looking at the window and at my face alternatively.

"And what would ya do if there're walkers inside?" He said, shaking his head. "I'll do it."

"Dammit, Dixon, you won't fit in there. Your back's too broad, I'm littler. I can defend myself. And if I see too much danger, I'll jump. It isn't too high."

Daryl sighed, still chewing at his lip and I rolled my eyes, taking the bag off and giving it to Daryl. I hung the bow on my shoulder, passing my arm through it and I grabbed the window's bars, making sure that they were well fixed. I nodded and started my climbing up, with Daryl puffing under me. I smiled.

"Oh, Dixon, you can't imagine how many trees I've climbed. I've slept in branches, like Katniss."

"Like who?" Daryl asked. I giggled.

"Nevermind. Don't worry, and wait for me."

He mumbled something I couldn't understand.

"Pardon?" I asked, getting to the window of the second floor and looking down. Daryl was looking at me.

"Be careful!" He grumbled, and I smiled.

"Don't be so serious, Daryl, you have a good sight of my ass from down there." I joked. He chuckled.

"That's damn true." He said.

I grabbed the cornice of the third window with my fingers and impulse myself up, getting to it. With a kick, I broke the glass and I got in, falling on my knees inside the corridor. I got up, brushing little pieces of glass from my thick pants and looking around. It was clean. Well, it was dusty, but tied. No broken doors, no blood splashes, no death's smell. I smiled, I had a good sensation. I put my head out the window, to see Daryl looking up at me. I waved at him with a smile and he rolled his eyes.

"I think this is safe, Daryl!" I said. "I'll go down in a minute!"

Daryl nodded.

"Scream if ya need help!"

"And what would you do?" I said. "The last time I checked, you weren't Spiderman." I said with a smile.

"Don't provoke me." He said. "And hurry up."

I chuckled as I moved away from the window and started my way down, looking for the janitor's office. I guess he had a toolbox. I walked slowly, looking at my sides every few seconds and keeping my guard on, hearing at every little noise it could be heard. I just got one little startle, when a rat passed running beside me, and I killed it with a quick shot. It seemed that I only had good aim when I was nervous.

"Sweet Jesus…" I sighed, taking the arrow and looking at the rat. "I'm sorry, but, yuck!" I said, wrinkling my nose.

I continued my way until I found what I was looking for. I grabbed the whole toolbox; it could be useful in the prison. The reception was deserted too, everything was so fucking tied and silent it gave me chills. Though it was better than the alternative.

I went up stairs again, and I looked through the broken window. Daryl was in the same place, crossbow ready. He was dirty, sweaty and now that the sun was starting to hide, his eyes glowed blue as they could be, almost shining in the growing darkness, like a sun ray passing through the clouds after a storm. He looked like a hunter, a very dangerous one.

"Hey, woodland creature." I said, he looked up. "Be careful down there!" I yelled, and I threw the pliers down. He took them from the floor and I started my way down to the hall again, just to find him there, closing the door behind him.

"I found this." I said, closing the door with a key.

"Is that a master key?" He asked, both eyebrows up. I smiled him cheekily.

"I can open every door. Even the bridal suite one." I said. He came closer and his lips tried to reach mines, but I moved away. "Nuh-huh, Dixon. You'd have to catch me." I said, walking backwards and then turning my back as I started running up the stairs. I heard Daryl gasping and then his steps resounded on the wooden floor, behind me.

I screamed a little as I got to the upper floor and turned a corner, skidding on the corridor.

"Ya can run, but ya can't hide!" Daryl said behind me, and I hurried up, laughing.

"First you'll have to hunt me!" I shouted over my shoulder.

It was a strange sensation. Happiness. I never thought I would live something like that, playing, running and laughing with Daryl, losing our worries for some minutes. It was like taking a deep breath after being too much time under the water. I got to the second floor thinking "please legs, help me" and I found a double door, looking like an expensive room. I took off the key just when Daryl showed at the end of the corridor and I unlocked them with shaky hands. I slammed them open with a push just when Daryl's arms grabbed my waist, pulling me up as I screamed. He moved me till I was facing him and he lifted me, I surrounded his hips with my legs and our lips met wide open. Our breaths were accelerated for the running, and our hearts were beating fast.

Daryl threw me to the big double bed and I bounced on it, opening my mouth with surprise.

"Hey!" I complained. "Treat me with carefulness…" I said. He raised an eyebrow. Wow. _Yes_, he was a hunter. The best one.

"I'll be gentler from now on…" he whispered, kneeling on the bed, at my feet, as he removed his belt. I felt a rush of adrenaline going through my body. "What were ya running away from?"

I half smiled.

"From the huntsman." I said. "He was trying to get me."

"Hell, he'll get ya." He said, taking his shirt off and moving to me. I shivered with anticipation.

* * *

"Oh. My. God." I said, between heavy breaths.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, swallowing. We lay on our sides on the big, white bed, now stained of sweat and the dirt we carried. "Ya realize this is the first time we make it in a bed?"

I laughed, stretching my back.

"You're damn right. This is more comfy than the floor of the backyard, isn't it?"

Daryl smiled and got closer kissing me gently and holding me, I turned around, giving him my back. He closed his arms around my waist and I felt his nose caressing the nape of my neck.

"And if we stay here, it'll be the first time we sleep together." I mumbled, and he made a sound I couldn't interpret. "What?"

"It's just that this life's crazy." He said, holding me tighter. His body was warm and wet; I loved the sensation of his skin against mine.

"It is." I nodded, looking in front of me. From the window, I could see the orange sky of the sunset and a group of birds flying, their shadows against the sky. "The sky looks beautiful." I whispered. From that point of view, there were no empty streets, no broken windows, no blood stains. The same sky as always.

"Ya look beautiful." He murmured. I smiled and turned my body around with a moan, facing him. His blue eyes looked at me warmly. I kissed him slowly, sighing.

"Do I?"

"Ya're always breathtakingly beautiful ta me. Even covered in blood and goo."

I chuckled, shyly.

"Well, that's almost always. You should have seen me in my good days. I had a leather skirt I loved to wear. With high heels…" I smiled, remembering my old, little but great, wardrobe.

"I'm sure ya looked like someone…"

He didn't finish the phrase. He looked down, at my neck. I put my fingers in his chin and made him raise his face to look at me.

"Someone…?"

"Someone that wouldn't have noticed me in a bar, when the world was normal."

I pouted, looking at his awesomely stunning blue eyes.

"Yeah, I would have noticed you. I would have thought 'Wow, look at that smoking hot country man'."

"Nah, ya would have thought 'look at that red-neck trash, looking at me'."

I frowned.

"That's what you think? I would have lost my panties for you even before all this shit happened." He looked away. "Wait a minute… that means you'd noticed me in a bar?"

He smiled at me.

"Hell yeah. Ya're the prettiest girl I've never seen."

"You would have invited me for a date?"

"I would've invited ya for everything ya wanted. I would've done anythin' for ya, like now."

I smiled.

"All you would've wanted would've been a laid. And you would've succeeded, actually."

He laughed.

"Ya would've liked me in a bar? When a lot of other guys to choose were there?"

I caressed his face.

"I would have done anything for you, like now." I repeated his words with a half smile.

We kissed slowly, feeling each other with calm, enjoying our little time alone.

"How did I get ya?" He said when we separated.

"Dunno. Apocalypse. Zombies. Being a great man who treats me like I'm important to him is a good way, too."

"Ya're the most important thing in the world to me." He said, and for a moment, for the first time in my life, I felt that those words were true.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"I wish I would have known you before all of this happened." I said, feeling a knot on my throat. "I wish we had a normal life, a home to ourselves, a quiet, nice place to live."

He sighed.

"I guess that's not for us. We're survivors. We've always been. Even 'fore this. But we found each other, so I guess its fine."

Hearing him saying those words was like being hit by a wave. I had to swallow hard to be able to talk again. I had thought about it lots of times, but I didn't thought he felt like that too. It was strange to me being with a guy talking like this. Maybe, I thought, it was just that neither of us found anybody to talk about it before. Maybe this was the first time we both really fell in love on someone. I shook my head trying to push those thoughts ahead.

"What's wrong?" He asked, caressing my nose whit his. I smiled.

"It's just… I've never been like… _this, _with anybody." I answered, shrugging.

"And how's that?" Daryl asked. "What about your boyfriends?"

I laughed.

"Never had a real one. I've had some of them for a couple of months, but I always got tired of them. I never really liked them, now that I think about it."

"You never had a crush on anybody?"

"Yeah." I said. "I liked this guy, don't know why, at high school, but he rejected me. You know, he was popular, I was a weirdo, like _Sixteen Candles_, but without any success. I guess that's when I decide men were just to fuck, the rest were unnecessary."

"You still think that?" Daryl asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"No. But I hadn't met you back then."

He smirked.

"Whatever." Daryl said, trying to ignore the commentary. "Why that guy rejected you?"

I sighed.

"'Cause I was weird and had no friends, didn't give a fuck and that was awkward to the rest of the kids. He told me I was cute, but too rare for him. 'Kind of a psycho, gore movies fan, comic reader. You know, we don't match' he said. I laughed at him. 'Yeah, I guess I would prefer a smart guy, now that I really talk to you' I answered. I bet my ovaries he's walker's food by now."

Daryl laughed.

"Sure. He called ya 'a psycho'?"

"Yup. Guess I was too different to fit in."

"And you never liked anyone else?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I had a friend, the one that gave me the axes." I said. "I liked him for a long time. But I was too fucked up to try anything with him. We had a short story, and I dumped him."

"Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know." I said, sighing. "He asked me the same thing loooooots of times after that, even though we were still good friends. I guess I was too afraid. The fear was a whole different thing when people weren't trying to eat you at every second. And what about you, Daryl?"

He shook his head.

"Nothin' to tell."

"Oh, c'mon, you asked first. It's your turn." Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I'm serious. I never had a girlfriend. Not like a serious girlfriend. I was quite like you in that way. I just wanted girls to fuck one night, cause I thought I didn't deserve any better."

I cocked my head.

"You still think that?"

He shrugged.

"Not in the same way, but yeah. I think I don't deserve ya."

I caressed his face with my fingertips.

"God, I wish you could see yourself like I see you." I said, frowning. "You would see everything so different…"

Daryl blinked a couple of times and then he kissed me again, holding me tight against him.

"We should go…" I whispered against his mouth. "Look for food…"

"Later."

* * *

_**AN:**__ Well, here's another one! Maybe the next chapter will take longer to be posted, but don't worry, I calculate you'll have it in ten-fifteen days more or less. Its just that the next two weeks are going to be a little crazy. Review and tell me if you're enjoying the story. I don't need big reviews just "I'm liking it", "I'm hating it" or "I don't give a fuck about it". Thank you, my beautiful readers, for following the story. Thanks!_


	15. Chapter 15: Silence

**CHAPTER****XV: SILENCE**

"_I would say I'm sorry, if I thought that it would change your mind, but I know that this time, I had said too much, been too unkind…"_

"Ya sing well." Daryl said, I smiled. "Which song's that?" he asked, looking amused. I opened my mouth, surprised, and I stopped singing. I changed the position of the three sacks (also known as sheets) I was wearing full of groceries before answering:

"God, Dixon. Are you serious?" He shrugged with indifference. "I can't believe it. You never heard _Boys Don't Cry_?"

"I think I heard it 'fore, but I ain't sure..."

"You think…" I said with a laugh in disbelief. "You ain't sure? Two words, Daryl: The Cure." By the look on his face, he never heard of them. "God, I wish I had a fucking iPod to plug _Bloodflowers_ directly into your brain." I said with a sigh. "I really miss it. Music."

"What music did ya listen to?"

I sighed.

"Good music. Guns n 'Roses, Metallica, Motörhead, Marilyn Manson, Joan Jett, Radiohead ..." I shrugged. "Practically all types of rock. What music did you listen, when there was still music to hear?"

"What my father heard, or Merle." He replied. "Lotsa Johnny Cash. Also AC/DC, ZZTop, Uriah Heep, Urge Overkill..."

I smiled, nodding.

"Well, despite everything, the music you grew up with was good. _She came to me one morning..."_ I started singing.

"_One lonely Sunday morning..._" Daryl continued the song, and I laughed. Then I joined him to sing together: "_Her long hair flowing in the mid-winter wind_..."

We continued singing until we finished the song, and although we didn't raise the voice too much, it was curious that our singing didn't attract any creature, dead or alive. We had spent the night in the hotel, without any incident. In the morning, I woke up wrapped between white sheets and Daryl's arms; I had to take a moment to think where the hell I was. For a moment, I felt so relaxed that it seemed that the outside world had to be back the way it was before. Daryl kept sleeping for some few minutes more, and I found that I also liked his face while he was sleeping peacefully. Totally tranquil. With parted lips and calmed breathing it was difficult to believe that Daryl was lethal for the zombie population. For a moment, I thought about how it would have been to go out of bed and let him sleep, go out the door to pick up the newspaper and starting to prepare breakfast for both of us, at the home we would share in Georgia. A normal life. But when Daryl woke, the sun reflected in his blue eyes and I realized that I didn't care. I just needed one thing.

We emptied the refrigerators of each room and all that wasn't rotten in the kitchen had also gone to the bags. We had the truck parked near the store of wedding dresses, about three hours away walking, maybe a little less. We had gone further away than we wanted, but we expected to find some groceries' treasure, and we had. We had been walking for about two hours, and it was beginning to get hot. The songs of the birds could be heard through the trees as we were walking down the road. My back started to hurt and I thought about getting one of those little bottles of whiskey we had taken from the room, but I rejected the idea with a sigh. In my experience, when everything was calm and quiet in a moment, just ensured that the next moment will set you up a horde of flesh-hungry creatures.

"I have to say it." I said, looking at Daryl. "Where the hell are the zombies? It's the fucking apocalypse; their job is to chase us. What are they doing?"

Daryl shrugged.

"They move in periods." Daryl said. "I think they've phases of migration."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You're kidding."

"Nope." He replied. "We realized when we left the farm. It was as if everyone of 'em agreed to go there at once."

"Well, they clearly move in herds, but..."

"There weren't fifteen or twenty, Alicia. They were 'bout two hundred. Or more."

I turned to face him.

"Two hundred? Two hundred biters appeared in the place you lived and y'all came out alive?"

"Not all of us, but yeah. Most of us did."

I snorted, surprised.

"Migration periods." I said, skeptically. "Damn, they're walking corpses. I can't believe they have any instinct beside the devouring people stuff."

Daryl shrugged.

"I tell ya what I've seen."

"So in winter they may go somewhere else?" I asked. "Stop surrounding the prison?"

"Dunno. Maybe."

"Or perhaps there are now so many people in prison that they can smell fresh blood and they're agglomerating there as we speak." I said, biting my lip.

"They would've done it before." Daryl said. "The prison has been full of people for some time now and there hasn't been a significant increase in walkers. Don't get paranoid."

I laughed and hardly elbowed him, since I was carrying a lot of weight.

"I was just reflecting out loud."

"Then reflect 'bout things a bit more hopeful."

"I'm reflecting about the bottles of booze we have. Tonight we have to celebrate the loot with whiskey."

Daryl smiled.

"I like that better."

"And I want us to sleep together."

Daryl turned to face me with a slight frown.

"Huh?"

I sighed. I had to start thinking about finding a way to stop the verbal diarrhea that sometimes seized me. It was as if someone else spoke for me, but saying exactly what I thought.

"I'm a little tired of having to say goodbye every night to go to sleep. And honestly, tonight was the last thing I needed to convince me..." At the confused expression in his blue eyes, I pressed my lips and shook my head. "Drop it."

"I've never slept with anyone." He said, shrugging. I raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Not like _sleep_. Today was the first time."

"You were one of those who kicked them out of bed?"

"No, I was one of those who went away when they fell asleep."

I nodded.

"Okay. Got the message." I said, turning my face to the opposite side, slowly letting out a breath between my lips. Well, it was a possibility. At least I had tried. The pounding feeling in my chest told me that Daryl's words cared me far more than I wanted to believe. Daryl snorted at my side.

"No ... Ya haven't understood." He said. "It sounds good. It was good."

I turned back to face him, fighting back the urge to roll my eyes.

"You don't need to lie, Dixon." I said. "You have no obligation with me, right? Don't worry." I focused my eyes on the gray pavement of the road and kept walking straight. I heard a tinkling sound and I turned to look at Daryl, but he wasn't by my side. I turned my head back. He had left the sheets on the floor and he was looking at me with a strange expression. Well, what now? Was he mad at me? So terrible and unexpected had been my proposal? I rolled my eyes.

"Damn, Daryl, don't get mad. I just..."

"Shut up." He said, approaching me and putting his hands on each side of my face. "I don't... I dunno how to take this kind of situation. I dunno how to talk 'bout some kind of stuff. But I've an obligation with ya, ok? And I agree with what ya said. I just need ya… to help me a bit..."

I smiled and shook my head, leaving the things on the floor too.

"Come here, you idiot." I said, grabbing the dirty fabric of his shirt and bringing him to me, until my lips met his. He snorted as we kissed and I smiled at the touch of his warm breath. Would I ever get tired of the touch of this man? Of his kisses? Of his big, callused hands, now wrapped around my back strongly? It was hard to believe that it could happen someday. I moved away, biting my lip with a smile. "Come on, let's go." I whispered. "Rick has to be thinking that we have been eaten."

Daryl nodded and picked up things from the ground, and we followed our route.

"Katie sleeps with ya now, right?" I nodded. "How do ya think we'll all fit in a bed? They're tiny."

"Well, Katie can sleep on the bottom bunk, and we on the top. Or you on the top one and the girl with me."

"Damn, woman, when we had a daughter? At least the others have nine months of preparation."

I laughed at Daryl's growls.

"Well, I think we're something like cool uncles. They give you candy when your parents aren't looking and they let you watch horror movies when you stay at their home."

"I never had an uncle like that."

"Me neither. But I've heard of them." I said. "Daryl, it doesn't have to be your responsibility if you don't want."

"Nor yours." He said.

"You're wrong." I answered. Daryl raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did I ever tell you that the last time Governor caught me, Milton helped me to hide away? In that cellar where you found me?"

"Yeah, ya said it was after Merle came with me, right? Ya tried to escape and got an arrow shot by Governor's men." Daryl said, nodding. "That's the round scar on your back?"

I nodded.

"Indeed, sir. Well, the thing is that the basement where I hid was Lena's and Katie's." I explained. "That's why I had so much trust with the child. I used to play with her before and spent a lot of time with children in general, but while I was locked in there, Katie was the one that brought me the little food they could afford to gave me without making anyone suspect."

"Is that why Lena was the only one ya tolerate of Woodbury?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"More or less. But I won't take care of Katie for that. Before hiding, Lena made me promise that if we could survive and she did not, I would take care of Katie."

Daryl shook his head.

"Did she make ya promise that? To ya?"

"Yes, I don't understand why neither."

Daryl slightly furrowed his brow and wiped the sweat from his forehead against the fabric of his shoulder.

"I think I understand. Let's see, if I had to leave a child with someone, I'll try that person to be someone that, when the worst times came, knew how to defend herself. That could care for the child while they're alone."

I frowned.

"You think so? That Lena thought I could take Katie with me, just the two of us, if we were in that situation?"

"Woodbury people admire ya." Daryl said, nodding. "Ya don't realize it because ya're too busy hatin' 'em, but they've a lot of respect. They know that ya're a survivor, and one of its best chances to survive, one of the people who'll protect them the best."

"Dunno. Respect? Admiration? I never noticed it. And I don't hate them."

"But ya reproach 'em lotsa things." Daryl said. "Ya reproach 'em that they didn't survive on their own, that they can't fight, that they followed Governor, that they complain 'bout the problems of the prison..."

I frowned.

"You think I'm too harsh?"

"Sometimes." He said. "Like with Beth the other day. That's why some people don't know how to talk to ya."

"Look who's talking, Mister Congeniality!" I said, with a snort of disbelief. "Are you going to say you don't think like me?"

"I don't." Daryl said. "Ya need to put yerself in their place. Although it's hard to believe it for us, there're people who were happy 'fore it all happened. They had a normal family, money, few worries. We weren't like that; the zombies just became another obstacle. But when it all fell apart, it appeared someone who offered 'em the opportunity to live like 'fore, making their lives changing minimally, and I understand that they chose that option. Not their fault, but ya're always blaming 'em."

I bit the flesh inside my cheek, thinking. It was very probable that Daryl was right. Okay, he was absolutely right.

"I think I hate that I've had to struggle so much and they so little. And also, that they've to be protected by people who passed very difficult times, as they…"

"They also had difficult times." Daryl said. "In other way. But that they've lost people, fuck, the man they considered their savior has proven to be a fuckin' psycho. We're all in the same boat now. Ya were right and they weren't, ya know how to defend yerself and they don't, ya're hard and they aren't. Stop punishin' 'em for that."

I nodded.

"Okay, I get it. You just call out one of the things that worries me. I've become cold and emotionless."

"Not true." He said. "Ya're angry, like everyone else. Just that ya're scarier than others. But ya're not cold. Quite the contrary. Ya're very visceral, and I know it better than anyone."

I smiled, shrugging.

"Ah, Daryl."

"What?"

I shook my head.

"Those eyes, that ass, and also clever. And you say you're the one that's lucky to get me."

Daryl chuckled, but he said nothing until a while later.

"Don't think I don't understand why ya act like ya do. We both think the same. That we only should worry 'bout ourselves, and bit by bit, we've more asses to protect."

"Sometimes I feel like running away." I admitted in a whisper.

"But we wouldn't."

"Because they're our family." Daryl nodded at my words. "In Woodbury it wasn't like that." I said. "Well, obviously. Governor would've killed them all if he thought it was convenient. We're lucky to have Rick. And you."

"And ya." He said. "And Glenn, and Carol, Hershel... everyone is valuable in their own way. All of us've saved someone's life, and have risked our lives for someone."

"Right now we're going to risk our lives for a fucking dress." I said, pointing to the street we had in front of us with my head. The wedding dresses shop was there.

"It was your idea."

We left everything in the truck and I changed the bow for my axes, which would be more useful if walkers surrounded us. I couldn't help thinking of the last time we had been there, the walkers had surrounded us in a matter of minutes, and we had to get the hell out of there, leaving some of the things we had come for behind. As if he was reading my mind, Daryl said:

"Ya remember the last time we were here?"

"Yeah." I said, looking at both sides of the street to make sure no zombies appeared from behind doors and broken windows. "A fucking cot almost cost us our lives."

Daryl half smiled at me.

"I was thinkin' of something else."

I laughed, his blue eyes looking flirtatious.

"Yes, I also remember that." I said. "I won't forget it in my whole life."

"I think I'd never wanted someone so much." He said with a snort. "It was a total relief."

"Literally." I said with a laugh, as I leaned on the door of the bride dresses shop to see if there was something or someone inside. It was just as I remembered, dusty and tidy. I opened the door and walked in, white dresses were extending on both sides of the store, with the counter at the end of the room. I raised my eyebrows and puffed, Daryl surrounded me from behind and he let his chin rest on my shoulder. I threw my head back and looked at him from my eye's corner. "What are you thinking?" I whispered.

He shrugged slightly.

"Of ya." He answered briefly. I smiled. It was so slow that it was barely noticeable, but I felt how Daryl was opening more and more to me. Also influenced by the fact that now I knew how to interpret every gesture or every word. Sometimes he was so brief in his explanations or answers, that if you didn't know him, it might seem that he was trying to avoid you or didn't want to talk to you, but that's Daryl. Those two words expressed more for me than two sentences in someone else's mouth.

"As always, right?" I joked, turning my head slightly to kiss him.

"Almost." He replied, kissing me back, and I smiled and moved away, getting rid of his embrace though I didn't wanted to. There was a decision to make.

"Well, Maggie told me no tail and that it has to have braces. The rest is our choice." I said, running my hands over the plastic-covered dresses.

"This'll take long?" Daryl said, just as I took a dress.

"This one?" I said. "It's white, with braces and it doesn't seem very cumbersome."

"Ok." Daryl said.

"Well, let's go." I answered, putting it on my shoulder. "We have to find clothes for babies. Yesterday Jeremy had to wear Judith's clothing."

"Yeah, I took him thinking he was her." Daryl said. "I thought you would spend more time with the dresses shit."

I growled.

"Oh, I hate weddings, and white dresses, and teary grooms and hypocritical banquets." I said. "I understand why Maggie wants to do it, and now getting married is not like before. It's purely symbolic; it means they'll die for each other. And they probably will." I added with a shrug.

"I thought all girls wanted to marry."

"Not me. I don't need any paper to tell me that I want to spend the rest of my life with someone. Also, swearing eternal love makes no sense. People have never worth to be trusted. If I can't trust you to give me back twenty bucks, I have to believe that you'll love me forever?" I snorted. "Although now it doesn't matter."

We went into the toy store hoping there was some baby clothes section. In villages, many times, they had a part of the store dedicated to that. The last time we had entered, it was full of walkers waiting expectantly, but now it was empty and silent as a tomb, but with no corpses, except the totally dead ones laying outside, the ones we killed the last time. No problems emerged while we took boy clothing of all kinds and some toys and books of stories and stuff like that. We loaded the truck with no problems and we headed to the prison.

"It has been too easy." I said, biting the skin around my nails while Daryl was driving. "I have a bad feeling. It's as if they had vanished."

"And that's a bad thing?" Daryl said, turning his head to look at me with a half smile.

"If we don't find anyone of 'em, maybe we could even…"

His sentence was interrupted when the truck ran into something on the road that pierced the wheels and made us stop drily, with a violence that made my head hit the dashboard. The pain was sharp and I was confused for a few seconds while I put my hand on my forehead, which was bleeding profusely, and Daryl's voice was muffled as he shouted my name. I frowned, eyes closed, feeling dizzy, but the concerned feeling that permeated Daryl's voice made me open my eyes wide. It took me to process what I was seeing the same time it took me to recover my ear and I could hear the chorus of moans coming off the fifty walkers that were getting closer to us on the road.


	16. Chapter 16: Do what you have to do

**_AN_**_: Hello to all my loyal and lovely readers! Before starting the new chapter, I wanted to mention a couple of things.  
First: If someone wants to send me a message asking me something, not a criticism, an opinion or a valuation, please, I prefer that you send it as private message and I will try to answer or accomplish what you ask me, but don't leave it as review because it has nothing to do with the story and, frankly, it isn't nice go and have a look at the reviews and meet something like: "I haven't read your story, but..." By the way, I've changed what Erik asked me to, though knowing he's not reading the story, probably he'll never know, hehe.  
Second: ADVxGravity420, thank you very much for your review, I always love to get your opinions, even more if you tell me that you are liking the story. However, your words made me think a lot. For those who haven't read it, ADVxGravity420 says in her review that in this story I have changed the essence of Daryl, what Daryl is. That's something that worries me a lot, actually, because it's one of the biggest mistakes people make in fanfics (and it happens a lot in Daryl's ones). Honestly, I think that for writing a fanfic like this one, it's necessary to change some of the factors of the character. I mean, we've never seen Daryl in a situation like this one, feeling something for someone, having a relationship or facing a woman who knows him, who knew his brother, and who doesn't try to change that, in fact, she likes him as he is, and she liked Merle too. So, we must start from an unknown point in shaping the character in this new territory, and I try to do it the best I can... I try to be consistent with Daryl's character, his shyness, his lack of confidence, sometimes his rudeness, but also his good heart. It's something that usually bothers me of some fanfics that I've read: the OC is a sweet defenseless girl and Daryl suddenly develops a sense of protection for her, he shows himself strangely affectionate and sweet. Daryl's not like that, not from the very beginning, at least. That's why it worries me that you think that I've changed the essence of Daryl, and I'd like to know your opinion in order to correct my mistakes from now on (though the truth is that this fanfiction is almost finished , but it's never too late.)  
__**AN2**__: As you may have noticed at this point in history, in my little fantasy world, Andrea didn't die when Governor locked her with Milton in process of transformation. I mention this now (a bit late, actually) because in this chapter I refer to that moment. Well, that's the good thing about fanfiction, right? That you can make disappear the things that displeased you, and I think Andrea's death was really unfair, so I wanted to enjoy her unique personality in my own story. I hope that doesn't upset you.  
Anyway, thank you very much to all of you for reading, for reviewing, for being there in general, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Do you remember? A herd of walkers approached Daryl and Alicia after she hit her head against the dashboard..._

* * *

**CHAPTER XVI: DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO**

_I wiped a tear with the back of my hand and looked away from my mother. She was leaning on a suitcase on the bed, making her luggage quickly to disappear before my father got home. Susie was doing double turn in the cafeteria and I had stayed home with a cold. My mother didn't count on having me there to see the scene of the leak._

_"Neil's a good man." She said, without looking at me, as she threw a pair of shoes in the suitcase. "You don't have to worry about me, lil' girl."_

_I sniffed. _

_"And what about Susie? About Dad? About me?" I whimpered. "Mommy?"_

_My mother looked up at my face for the first time since she had arrived. What she saw was the face of a fourteen year old girl with red cheeks because of the tears and the fever, big green eyes amid a small face and black hair in a messy ponytail. I was wearing my pajamas, consisting of an old Jurassic Park T-shirt and sweatpants. I couldn't understand. I had a class mate, Meredith Holmes, who had told me that my parents didn't love me. She had told me that when your parents love you, they don't hit you or insult you or let you go to school unkempt or dirty. I was angry and I had pounded on her, I punched her in her freckled face until the gym teacher had separated us. That was two years ago, when I was twelve. The teacher had dated us in the principal's office with our parents, and Meredith, with a black eye, had avoided looking at me from the arms of her mother, who had held her with a look of pure anguish. She yelled to the principal that they couldn't allow me to be there, that I was lacked of education or control, that I was a danger. The principal tried to make her understand that I was only a twelve year old girl, but I kept wondering why it was the principal who defended me and not my mother. But, looking at the leather padded chair beside me, empty, I considered if maybe Meredith wasn't wrong._

_When I got home that day, my mother was on the couch, asleep. I took the box of cookies that had overturned on the ground and I dropped back into it the syringe, the long thin rubber strip and the rest of the kit that was laying on the floor. My father was in the kitchen, drinking beer like any other day, and when I told him that day they had to have gone to the school meeting, he said that I shouldn't get myself into trouble if I didn't wanted to earn a spanking. I pursed my lips and looked at him as challenging as I could. In return, I received a spit in the face. I remember the disgust his face inspired me while he was laughing, the snake tattooed on his neck, his dirty tank top._

_But as I watched my mother packing, I couldn't think of anything else than in the face of Meredith Holmes. Her freckled face, with her big black eye, buried in the chest of her mother. You could tell she wasn't afraid of anything being there. Her mother was her refuge. And mine fled the scene._

_"Lish, you have to understand." She said, kneeling in front of me. I looked down to see her face while hot tears were running down my cheeks. "One day you'll realize that the only thing that matters is you. As much as you love someone, as much as I love you or your sister, I'll be happier in Atlanta with Neil."_

_"You can't leave us alone with dad." I mumbled. Since some time ago I had realized of that. Since some time ago I waited for my mother to return from work to get home. Since some time ago I could hardly sleep at night. And long ago I knew this would happen sooner or later. But in my mind, my mom would take us with her, Susie and me._

_"You have to be strong." She said, putting her hands on either sides of my face. "It's the most important. You have to learn to fight. Your spirit is hard, I can see that. But your heart is fragile. And that makes you fragile, Lish, it makes you weak. The weakness is the worst flaw a person can have. And it's mine."_

_"So be strong and stay." I said. "Fight for us."_

_"I have to fight for me." She said, standing up and turning to close the suitcase. I stifled a sob that tightened my chest and I wiped my face with my shirt._

_"How can I get it? Make me strong?" I asked, as she picked up the suitcase and headed for the door._

_"Never love anyone. Always remember that you're the most important thing. Don't worry about anyone. And don't fall in love." She said. I frowned._

_"If you go..." I said hoarsely. "If you leave, don't come back. Don't think I'll open that door for you. And I won't want to see you. Not at all."_

_I hoped my mother cried, dropped the suitcase and walked to me, that she held me strongly and made me feel safe in her arms, as Meredith Holmes into the arms of her mother. That my mother made me pack, made Susie's pack and we left to the cafeteria to find her and ran away, that the three of us lived away from him. That she stopped doing drugs, drinking... That we were happy ever after. The final proof that the punch I gave that girl two years ago, had been deserved. But instead, my mother gave a small smile._

_"That's my girl." She said, and walked out the door without looking back._

* * *

I blinked hard a few times, trying to clear my vision and focus. The walkers were a few feet from us and they were slowly approaching the truck, saliva dripping from their rotten corners.

"Alicia!" Daryl said to me, taking me by the shoulders.

"I'm fine..." I mumbled. With a sigh, I ran my hand across my forehead, eliminating traces of blood I had, but the open wound continued pouring blood down my face. "Fuck." I said, and I tore the hem of my old tank top with little effort for put it around my head. I felt how the thin cloth moistened quickly, but at least no blood came to my eyes and hindered my view. "They're many."

"Yeah." Daryl said. "We gotta be fast. At the count of three, I'll open the door and we'll get out, runnin' into the woods. If we're smart enough they won't catch us."

I frowned, but that made my face hurt me more.

"We can't leave the truck here, with all our stuff."

Daryl looked at me incredulously. We were painfully aware that every word we were pronouncing brought the walkers closer to us.

"Fuck it! The first's to save our lives."

I huffed and grabbed my axes, making sure blood loss hadn't taken me the strength of my hands to wield them. I squeezed the handles a few times, causing blood to circulate through my fingers and nodded.

"We can fight them." I said, and opened the door of the truck.

"What? No!" Daryl said, but I closed the door behind me and I couldn't hear anything else. Something about 'crazy bitch'.

I faced the herd taking a deep breath and I lifted the two axes, analyzing the picture. There were many, yes, but they were weak. Most of them had more bones than flesh, and although they were angry and hungry, the lack of food was obvious. They moved slowly, many of them crawling. The smell was almost unbearable, it instantly churned my guts and I felt that the package of stale chocolate cookies I had eaten that morning was going up my throat along with a considerable amount of bile, but I ignored it.

The first blow was for a female zombie, which was so easy to cut off its head that I almost laughed out loud. Its bones were starting to rot too, then. I heard the truck door closing and Daryl came with a machete in one hand and his crossbow in the other, and the arrows began to fly, while I banged heads with silvery and sharp blades without showing any mercy. Not that they deserved it. One, two, three, four, five, walkers fell easily, corpses were piling up at our feet, but they didn't seem to end. Daryl kept screaming:

"C'mon! We won't make it! Alicia!"

But I almost didn't listen. His voice came as a diffuse echo through my dull ears, if it was for the adrenaline or for the loss of blood from my wound, I didn't know. A walker grabbed my ankle from the ground and I let go with a sudden movement, I gave it a kick in the face that made its jaw divest, and then stepped hard on its rotten head, I could feel the bones crunching under the thick sole of my boot. I bended down and moved among them, when I was in the middle of a circle of walkers, I stretched my arms, and I slowly did a 360 degree turn, cutting off heads in the way. When I stood, my feet wobbled. I was dizzy, but I wouldn't faint. That wasn't an option. I was going to kill all those damn biters and I would take all the loot to the prison, Maggie's dress, clothes for Jeremy, the Lil' Asskicker's toys, stories for Katie. The food and the bottled water for all the mouths that needed to be fed. I wasn't going to leave it there for walkers to damage it, or worse, for Governor to find it and take it to his people. Not even in dreams.

An arrow flew past my ear and I bended down, just to see Daryl struggling with a walker who grabbed his arm. The crossbow had fallen to the ground and the arrow had been shot by accident. I walked towards him, whispering his name, but a tug on my broken shirt made me stagger and I fell to the ground on my back. A second later, a walker was over me, opening its mouth. An axe had fallen from my hand when I hit the ground, but I got the other with both hands and used the handle to stop the biter, pressing its neck to get it away from me. Or the zombie was very strong or I was losing strength, because I couldn't get it all the further that I should. I groaned, struggling, and I looked at Daryl. He wasn't fighting the same zombie, now he had two on him; he rejected them with the machete.

This is how it all would end?

I looked at the eyes of the walker, empty and dry, and I looked for Daryl again with my eyes, but I couldn't find him. The horde had swallowed him.

"NO." I growled, using all my strength to fight, but the walker was stronger than me.

I gasped. The point of a sword pierced the forehead of the walker, which fell on me with all its weight and, over its shoulder, I saw Michonne wielding her katana. She turned around and, limping, she started cutting heads and limbs. I blinked and took the corpse off, I tried to get up, but I got even dizzier. While my vision became blurred and my head was spinning I heard Rick's voice somewhere far away, calling my name. Someone with blond hair stood in front of me, pushing me and I fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"How is she?" Glenn's voice said.

"Fine." Hershel said. "She will recover."

"She hasn't been bitten?" Michonne asked.

"No." Maggie's voice answered. "I checked it."

Daryl's voice sounded then, more distant than others' voices.

"So, she's nutty, but not a zombie."

A hand clenched mine, and then I became aware of my body. Someone was holding my two hands. One was soft and small and rested on my hand without any force, the other was about my size and I pressed lovingly but firmly.

"Why did she do that?" Maggie said very close to me, and I knew she was the person who was holding my hand tightly. "Why wouldn't you run away?"

"I couldn't stop her." Daryl said hoarsely. "Before I could react, she was cuttin' off heads. I went to help her; I wouldn't leave her alone."

"No, you couldn't leave her alone." A childish voice said. Katie was there; her voice was almost in my ear.

"This is what I meant." A hard voice said, Andrea. "It sucks to be the bad one, but her behavior was unconscious and dangerous. She almost got both of you killed. It's been crazy. If Beth and Maggie didn't even see the van..."

"Ok, I know." Daryl said. "And believe me, I'm so pissed as ya, but wait till she wake up to pester her."

"The reckless behavior could have been due to the blow of her head." Hershel said. "Blood loss could have made her become irresponsible."

"She doesn't need to lose blood to be that." Andrea said. "She put us in danger. Herself and all of us."

"Ya're tryin' to say somethin', Andrea?" Daryl said.

"Yes." She replied. "She has to go."

There was silence as I tried to break it. I tried to open my eyes, mouth, grunting, groaning, something, but couldn't. I didn't want to get kicked out from the prison. I liked living there, more than anywhere else. I was _happy_, or as happy as I could given the situation. They couldn't get me away from Daryl, Katie, Maggie. The memories started coming to my mind slowly. The jab, the punch, the zombies. With a frown, I realized that Andrea was right. I had passed the line. I should have listened to Daryl and got the hell away from there, but I was determined to fight, and almost got us both killed. Had they said something about a van? I didn't know what that was about.

"She's waking." Rick said when he saw me frowning, and I opened my eyes slowly. I was in the prison's infirmary; fluorescent light blinded me momentarily, but was quickly replaced by thick brown hair. Katie small arms surrounded my neck in a tearful hug. I raised my arms to wrap the child with difficulty, I was still weak. A door closed, someone had entered or left the room. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes, looking around. Daryl was no longer there. Oh.

"Hey." I said, half smiling, and Maggie laughed and hugged me carefully, she still had an injured arm. Carol approached me and stroked tenderly my hair, I smiled at her too.

"You have given us a fright." She said in her gentle voice.

"Sorry." I answered. "What happened?"

Hershel came up and lit my eyes with a flashlight; I guess he was trying to check my pupillary reflex.

"Don't you remember it?" Rick said, arms folded across his chest, but a warm smile was lighting his face, happy to see me awake.

"I remember the sting, the walkers, and that you came..." I said, frowning. I felt my forehead tensed to it and I raised my hand to touch it. The stitches were palpable. "What happened next? Did I faint?"

"That's right." Hershel said. "Due to the lack of blood."

"The jab was brutal." I said. "I hit my head against the dashboard."

"That's because it wasn't accidental." Rick explained. "Somebody put a set of skewers on the road. It's a miracle that you didn't overturned."

I frowned.

"Somebody did it on purpose?" I said, swallowing.

"Yes." Maggie said. "Beth went out to pick some fruit a couple of miles from the prison."

"Remember that I said that Beth had found an apple tree?" Rick said, I nodded. "Well, there were more trees in there."

"When we were there." Maggie continued. "We heard an engine and we hid. It was a van, and by the moans and groans that were heard inside, we knew what its cargo was."

"Walkers." I whispered, crossing my legs in front of me to welcome Katie into my lap. The girl climbed on me as a koala and I let her as I wrapped my arms around her little body.

"That's right." Maggie said. "We rushed to the prison, thinking they were going to attack us, but when they didn't appear, we thought of you."

"You were an easy target in the middle of the road." Rick said. "We arrived just in time."

I buried my head in my hands, sighing.

"I've acted awfully." I said with a hoarse whisper. "I almost get us killed. If we had escaped into the woods..."

"They would have killed you anyway." Michonne said. I raised my face, confused, and Rick said:

"They didn't put the trap, released the walkers and left." He said. "They were waiting in the van, hidden among the trees. When we were almost finished with all the walkers, they turn the engine on and went out at full speed.

I nodded.

"So they wanted us to get in the forest to kill us themselves?"

"I don't know." Rick said. "Maybe. Or kidnap you. Or wanted the walkers to kill you and then take your heads. Those bastards are so twisted… who knows.

Andrea remained silent with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Daryl is right? Before I thought I heard his voice."

"He's great." Carol said. "Just a little upset."

"And rightly." I nodded. "What about the supplies? The truck?"

"They're here." Rick said. "The truck is on the road. Daryl and Glenn will go to pick it up when dawn comes, but they will have to change the front wheels."

"Sorry." I said, shrugging. "I know I behaved like a lunatic, it's..."

"Never mind." Rick said, Andrea chuckled. "Don't worry. But next time, keep in mind that your life is worth more than any type of supplies."

"Aren't you going to kick me out of here?" I said in a whisper.

"No." Maggie said. "You're one of us, silly."

"Sure." Andrea said. "Of course."

And she turned to the door, leaving. I got up from the stretcher with a wobble and gave Katie to Carol.

"Will you stay with her a few hours?" I said. "I have to talk to Andrea. And with Daryl."

Carol nodded, grabbing the girl carefully.

"Sure." She said.

"You agree, sweetie?" I asked Katie. The girl smiled a little.

"Ok. Carol always tells me very nice stories before going to sleep." Katie said and Carol smiled at the girl.

"Thanks for everything." I said, looking at Carol's face. I turned to look at the others. "All of you."

And I left the infirmary, just to catch Andrea before she went into prison.

"Andrea!" I screamed. The blonde turned, looking exasperated, and I only had said her name.

"I'm sick!" She said, no need for me to ask anything. "You're one of us? Well, I was one of them too and they didn't hesitate to leave me abandoned on the farm..."

"That has nothing to do with me." I said.

"It has everything to do with you." She replied. "You have been received with open arms in the group, even Daryl accepted you from the first time, from the beginning, and I was always the weirdo who couldn't fit in. Why?"

I shrugged.

"How can I know that?" I said. "To me you're just the chick who always treated me like I was stupid, who had made things difficult to me and who had judged me without knowing who I am.

Andrea frowned.

"That's what you think?"

I raised an eyebrow to her.

"I heard your conversation with Daryl." I said. "That day in the watchtower. You said I was dangerous, selfish, reckless and stupid. We have barely crossed two sentences since we met, but you got that idea from me. Why? Because I tried to escape from Woodbury? Because I was Merle's friend? Because I like killing zombies? You like it too! And Governor's much crazier than Merle was, and he's more dangerous. You hardly escaped when he locked you up with Milton, Michonne told me. I think we aren't so different."

"And yet they all love you."

"They love you too!" I replied. "You are too focused on feeling displaced to see that actually they all are trying to communicate with you and you don't let them."

Andrea frowned and looked down at the floor.

"Phil... _Governor_, he said they found you fighting against a herd of zombies on your own. He told me they had done you a psychological examination, and that you were dangerous.

I snorted.

"You think his word can be trusted? He's the most deceitful person I've met in my life."

Andrea nodded.

"That's true." She said. "I think he hates you."

"Because I never underwent." I said. "Well, smashing his head against a metal table after having stuck my finger in his injured eye may neither have earned me his sympathies."

Andrea almost smiled.

"Maybe." She said.

"Hey." I said. "I didn't come here to badgering you. Just came to say thank you."

She frowned.

"Why?"

"Because when I fell unconscious, I saw that you had put in front of me to protect me. Maybe you don't like me, maybe you think I shouldn't be here, but you stood for me when I couldn't fight." I shrugged. "Thanks."

She swallowed and nodded.

"I saw Daryl was putting up one of the tents in the parking lot. In case you want to talk to him." She said, and turned to enter the prison. I smiled. It had almost been a peace treaty.

I headed to where Andrea had told me, but I stopped dead when I saw Beth near the infirmary, sitting on the floor. I bit my lip looking at the blonde girl, so short, thin, fragile.

"I guess today is the day to apologize." I whispered to myself and went after her. "Hey." I said when I arrived, sitting beside her. Beth turned her face towards me and smiled weakly.

"Hi, Alicia. I'm glad you're okay."

I smiled.

"Nah, a silly hit. I wanted to talk to you, Beth."

The girl pursed her lips and turned her eyes to the floor again.

"I figured this would happen sooner or later."

"I want to apologize."

Beth raised her blue eyes to me, clearly confused.

"That's not what I expected."

I chuckled and put a hand on her leg, giving her an affectionate squeeze.

"Beth, I had no right to treat you as I did. I crossed the line; I was very harsh, even cruel. I would like you to forgive me."

"No, you were right. I acted like a child, I was very selfish, and..."

I shook my head.

"No, Beth. If you lost your way that bad it was because you are anything but selfish. You care. And that's good. You feel the pain of the people and it affects you, there's nothing wrong with that. You must learn to conduct it, to use it in something else, because death is not an option, and less like that. And I was wrong in something else. There is still hope. I have hope, now I have. Well, I almost died today, and I am saved because there are people willing to fight. That's where the hope is." I said, her eyes still fixed on mine. "But it's great to feel so much, that things hurt you, because that indicates that you're human. It's the best we have, our humanity, our ability to feel, to mourn, to love. And I don't want that you feel guilty about that because of me, or because anyone."

"I'd like to be as strong as you." She said. "Being able to go out to battle walkers without fear…"

"What happened today was not strength, was recklessness." I said. "Someone once told me that for being strong I only had to worry about myself. She was very wrong. For being strong you have to feel as much as you can, whatever your heart tells you, and live with it proudly. You are strong, Beth. And I'm sorry I said otherwise."

The girl gulped and nodded.

"Okay. But it's that sometimes I feel like I 'm gonna drown, like I won't resist anymore…"

"In those moments, look me up. Or Maggie, or your father, or Rick. When I feel that way, when I think that I won't be able to bear it…"

"It happens to you too?" She said, surprised. I laughed.

"Yes, it happens to me too. And when that happens, I look for Daryl, because he gives me strength. Just look for someone who makes you feel fine. Safe, secure, calm."

"Daryl makes you feel that way?"

I nodded.

"Yes, and that's why I have to go talk to him now. But first, I wanted to ask you something."

Beth raised her eyebrows.

"Sure."

"Give me a hug?" I said, holding out my arms. She smiled and snuggled against my chest, in that posture, she almost looked like a child, though she was almost a woman. I gave her a kiss on her blond hair. "Thank you." I said. "I assure you you have taught me more than I have taught you."

"I doubt it. But thanks."

I left the girl and I gave her an encouraging smile before going to look for Daryl to the parking lot. I felt like a weight in my chest had been detached from my body after the conversation with Andrea, and another one after talking to Beth. Now I had to deal with the hardest one. I found a tent put up next to Merle's bike, a dim light shone inside. I bended down and unzipped it.

"Knock, knock." I said, Daryl was laying there, with a cigarette in one hand and a hotel's bottle in the other. He looked at me a moment and then he glanced toward the ceiling, taking another drag. I entered the tent, zipping it behind me and sat beside him on a sleeping bag. I hesitated before speaking; I wasn't used to be afraid to having someone mad at me.

"Today you're going to sleep here?"

"Yeah." He said.

"Can I sleep here too?"

"Whatever ya want."

I nodded, pressing my lips.

"Ok." I whispered, hugging my legs.

"Yeah, ok." Daryl said with a growl, biting a fingernail. I frowned.

"Are you very angry at me?" He looked at me with eyes cold as ice. He frowned and that ice melted a little when he answered:

"I ain't mad at ya."

I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"C'mon, don't try to sell me that, Dixon. I know you."

He bit the inside of his lip, looking at me, his blue eyes pierced me. He groaned loudly and took a long drag of his cigarette.

"Yeah, I'm mad at ya. I know ya're recoverin' from the hit in the head, and I know I should be grateful that we're alive and all that shit, but right now I can't even look at ya without thinkin' 'bout the time ya got out of the car." He stopped talking and stared at me.

"I know I didn't act well, I…" I began, but he interrupted me angrily:

"Ya know how I…? Ya can't come in my life, make me fall in love with ya and then got devoured. Ya can't. Ya can't do that."

My heart was beating so fast it hurt. _Ya can't come in my life, make me fall in love with ya_. Did he just tell me he loved me? What?

"I didn't think…" I whispered. He shook his head.

"I was fine on my own. I was doin' well. Damn, possibly before I met ya, I would've gone to face a herd myself. Ya know how I was in the car back to prison, while Maggie and Glenn took you in the other car? I was out of my mind! I couldn't think of nothing but what would I do if ya had been bitten!"

"Daryl…"

"No! What ya want? Ya want me to shoot ya in the head? Would I have to do that if they ever bite ya?"

I sighed, looking at him. He had sat, the cigarette was laying off on the floor and the bottle had rolled, empty, to the bottom of the sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I guess so." I said. He looked puzzled. "This is the life we live now. There is danger everywhere. We can die tomorrow."

His mouth was open, his eyes glowed with rage. I got closer to him and surrounded his neck with my arms. He tried to let go, but I resisted.

"Listen." I said, forcing him to look at me. "I know you were fine before we met. I was too. But nothing compared with how I am now. Yes, I worry what will I do if I lose you, but I know you're tough, and I am too. What happened today won't be repeated. And frankly, I can't help loving you." I felt how a terrible burden left my body, I almost got dizzy again. He gave me a look of disbelief, eyes wide open. "I haven't tried, and don't want to. I survived only to keep fighting, but when I had that walker on me I realized how far I'd went, I just thought of you. In the fact that I wouldn't spend one more day with you. It terrorized me. And I think that's good, and I will not change it.

I caressed his face, his tanned and rough skin, and I got closer to kiss him, but he stopped me, grabbing my wrists.

"Don't say that." He whispered. I frowned.

"What?"

"That ya love me. Don't say it if it ain't true."

I gasped and sat back down in the sleeping bag. Wow. That had hurt more than I had imagined.

"Is that what you think?" I said, trying to keep my emotions restrained. "That you are, what? An entertainment? A way to make the days go by faster? A guy to fuck with? What?" My voice was rising as I spoke. He shook his head.

"It makes no sense." He whispered. "Why would ya…?"

I sighed, dropping my head until my chin touched my chest. The damn inferiority complex, always underestimating himself. I approached him, sitting astride his lap, and wrapped my legs around him.

"Daryl Dixon." I said, looking at his blue and sad eyes. "I know that no one has treated you like you deserve in your whole life, but you have to stop. You have to stop thinking that you're less than anyone, 'cause it's not true. You're as good as Rick or anyone else, or better. You're smart, funny, handsome, loyal, decent, brave and hard as a fucking rock. You're a hell of a man, Daryl. And I love you. And if you dare to contradict me, you're a fucking liar."

He sighed, looking at me with his eyes impregnated with doubt. He didn't believe me. I held his gaze, swallowing. If he could see in my eyes that what I was saying was true, that I loved him and that wasn't negotiable, that I saw all that in him and much more, that I was the fortunate one to have found a man like him, that he was perfect as he was, with every each of his grunts, his smiles and his scars…

"I love ya too." He said at last, making me let go a breath. "But _don'tcha_ ever do somethin' like that." He said, and I smiled, pressing my lips against his.

"Promised." I whispered against his mouth.

* * *

**_AN3_**_: I hope you liked it! By the way, what did you think of the beginning of the new season? Am I the only one enraptured by the return of Daryl Fucking Perfect Dixon? ;)_


End file.
